Patna: A case of alleged identity fraud and misuse of welfare provisions has come to light in Bihar’s Darbhanga district, where a man is accused of obtaining a fake Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) certificate for his wife using forged documents before filing a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and securing government compensation.
The incident was reported from Buchauli village in the Biraul police station area. According to the allegations, Manjay Ram, a labourer who had been working in Mumbai, married a Muslim woman in a love marriage. After returning to his native village, he allegedly changed her name to “Ankita Devi” and arranged local identity documents in her new name.
Investigators allege that the man falsely identified his relatives, Devendra Mochi and Ghoorni Devi of Patania village, as his wife’s in-laws in official records. Based on these documents, an SC/ST caste certificate was reportedly issued in the name of Ankita Devi.
Authorities further allege that the forged certificate was subsequently used to file a complaint under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against several residents of Bargaon village, including Akhilendra Kumar Singh and Sanjay Kumar Singh. The complaint allegedly enabled the accused to obtain financial assistance available under the state’s relief scheme for victims of caste-based atrocities.
The matter took a dramatic turn during an inquiry ordered by the Circle Officer (CO), when Ghoorni Devi reportedly denied having any daughter named Ankita Devi or arranging her marriage in Buchauli village. She also claimed that Manjay Ram had taken her Aadhaar card nearly a year ago, alleging that it was later misused in preparing forged documents.
Following these developments, the villagers named in the SC/ST case approached the Biraul Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) and the Circle Officer, seeking an impartial investigation into the alleged fraud.
Buchauli Panchayat Mukhiya Rita Devi also stated that no woman named Ankita Devi was found residing at the address mentioned in the documents. According to the preliminary findings, the caste certificate appears to be fraudulent, though the allegations are yet to be conclusively established.
The district administration has initiated an investigation into the authenticity of the caste certificate, the alleged fabrication of identity documents and the reported misuse of government compensation. Officials are expected to determine whether criminal charges should be pursued if the allegations are substantiated. The outcome of the inquiry could also lead to the recovery of any benefits found to have been obtained through fraudulent means and action against those involved in issuing or facilitating the disputed documents.
