MUMBAI: As government authorities attempt to sanitise electoral rolls and plug gaps in documentation protocols, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Mumbai police has been constituted to probe a large-scale birth certificate fraud within the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The SIT will be headed by joint commissioner of police (crime branch), Lakhmi Gautam.
The fraud, which points to systemic vulnerabilities at the root of identity verification, centres on 87,347 birth certificates issued by the BMC’s health department through an unauthorised SAP system, bypassing the central government’s CRS portal. Given the implications of identity fraud, the SIT has been set up on the orders of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis,
Unauthorised alterations in birth records and the issuance of certificates under a defunct SAP system took place between 2024 and 2026, but are surfacing only now. They were brought to the attention of the civic administration months ago by senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, triggering an internal inquiry. A few ward-level medical health officers have been either transferred or suspended.
Dr Babita Kamalapurkar, the state’s deputy director of health services and deputy chief registrar of births and deaths, wrote to the BC’s executive health officer on April 29, citing Somaiya’s complaint.
The letter pointed out that under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, as amended in 2023, and corresponding Maharashtra rules, all registrations must be carried out through the central government’s Civil Registration System (CRS) portal. And, yet, the BMC allegedly issued tens of thousands of birth certificates, using the now-discontinued SAP system, in violation of legal provisions.
“If such registrations have been carried out in the SAP system after the CRS portal came into effect in 2016, they will be considered invalid,” the letter stated, seeking an explanation and a preliminary report from the civic body.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde on Tuesday convened a meeting in her chambers, stating that the matter had been under investigation for months and indicating that the scam spans nearly 26 municipal wards.
“While following up on this large-scale scam with senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, it has come to light that approximately 87,347 birth certificates were issued illegally through the now-discontinued SAP system,” said Tawde.
She said complaints received from various sources suggest the scale of the fraud is extensive. She called the certificates in question “illegal”, adding that she had directed that all records pertaining to them be removed from the system and FIRs filed against those responsible. “Of the 236 cases exposed, 137 have already seen action, while the remaining have been handed over to the SIT for further investigation,” she said.
Tawde also named Medical Officers of Health (MOHs) across civic wards, including Andheri (K East), Dahisar (R North), Byculla (E ward) and Kurla (L ward), who were transferred or suspended.
She said MOHs Dr Vaishali Khade, Dr Sunita Pawar and Dr Nitish Thakur, of K West and R North wards, have been transferred, while Dr Shailendra Gujar was suspended. Gujar was posted in L ward (Kurla) and then E ward (Byculla).
Somaiya alleges that the civic authorities attempted to suppress the matter. “The most unfortunate part is that despite two to three meetings of the mayor, a cover-up operation was carried out by the BMC,” he said, underlining that these certificates could be misused for official identification documents like Aadhaar.
“I have studied the certificates. Some individuals are not available at the addresses mentioned. Also, original certificates were issued in the name of ‘Pinky’ and later reissued as ‘Ayesha’ without cancelling the old records. Someone lived for 40 years as ‘Pinky’ and is now recorded under the name ‘Ayesha’. The old certificate was not cancelled. This indicates benami duplication and is an outright fraud. What’s concerning is that this birth certificate will be misused in SIR, Aadhar card,” said Somaiya. He claimed the chief minister stepped in after the BMC failed to act despite being given an opportunity.
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With inputs from Vinay Dalvi
