In a major cybercrime crackdown, police in Maharashtra’s Nanded district have arrested five individuals from Jharkhand for allegedly creating 15,569 fake birth records on the government’s Civil Registration System (CRS) portal by misusing the login credentials of a gram panchayat.

The arrests were made by the Usmannagar police following a complaint that revealed large-scale manipulation of official birth registration data over several months.

Fraud Detected During Routine Scrutiny

According to officials, the bogus entries were generated between May 1 and November 30, 2025, using credentials assigned to the Savaleshwar gram panchayat in Kandhar taluka.

The complaint was filed by Bhavana Kawale, a 35-year-old gram panchayat officer responsible for the portal’s access. Police said the CRS account was in her custody when an unidentified person allegedly gained unauthorised online access and created thousands of fraudulent records.

Nanded Superintendent of Police Abinash Kumar said the irregularities surfaced during routine verification of official data.

“The manipulation was detected during a scrutiny of records, following which a case was registered, and a detailed cyber investigation initiated,” he said.

Serious Charges Under Criminal And IT Laws

An FIR has been registered against the accused under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to cheating, forgery and criminal acts, along with Sections 65 and 66 of the Information Technology Act dealing with computer-related offences and unauthorised system access.

Police said the case represents a significant breach of a critical government database used to maintain official records of births and deaths across the country.

Potential Link To Identity Fraud

While investigators have not yet disclosed the full motive, officials suspect the fake birth records could have been intended for obtaining fraudulent identity documents, government benefits or other illegal activities.

Birth certificates serve as foundational identity proof in India and are often required for Aadhaar enrolment, passports, school admissions and welfare schemes, making such databases attractive targets for organised cybercriminal networks.

Authorities are now examining whether the forged entries were used to generate additional documents or linked to broader fraud operations.

Investigation Continues

Police teams are conducting further digital forensic analysis to trace how the login credentials were compromised and whether more individuals were involved.

Officials said the arrests mark only the initial phase of the investigation, with the possibility of additional suspects being identified as evidence is examined.

The case highlights growing concerns over cybersecurity vulnerabilities in local administrative systems, even as government services increasingly move online to improve efficiency and accessibility.

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