HYDERABAD: Three persons, including an attender of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), were nabbed for preparing fake voter ID cards. The attender was stealing holograms from the GHMC office and supplying them to the other accused for preparing the fake cards. Another contract worker of GHMC, involved in the racket, is absconding. A computer, scanner and printer, 1,550 holograms, three signature stamps of electoral officers, 30 fake voter ID cards and three mobile phones were recovered from the arrested. According to the police, the accused are Safdar Ali of Yakutpura, J Ramulu of Amberpet, Mir Ehsan of Karwan. Ramulu is the attender at GHMC office, Khairathabad. Another accused, Munawar, is absconding. Police said Ehsan works as an agent at various government offices and processes applications of people seeking certificates. Being in the same field for 15 years, he was in contact with employees in government offices. "When an applicant without having supporting documents apply for genuine voter ID cards, Ehsan contacts Munawar or Ramulu and gets the work done. Ehsan collects the money from the applicant and shares some amount to the other two,'' City police commissioner AK Khan said. Munawar's brother, Safdar Ali, prepares the fake voter ID cards with the help of software provided by his brother and also stamps of electoral officers' signatures. "Ramulu supplies the holograms needed on the ID cards. Though the holograms have to be secured with a high-level official, the same was entrusted to a class-IV employee and he has been pilfering them from his office,'' Khan said, adding that more than 1,500 holograms were taken out of the office by Ramulu.
Police said they would send a report to the senior GHMC officials on the issue.
Khan said the fake voter ID cards could be used by fraudsters to secure vital documents like passports and others.