A disturbing case of document fraud has emerged from Haldwani in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, revealing how a person working at a Common Service Centre (CSC) allegedly manipulated old records of a Hindu couple to create an entirely fake identity for someone else.

According to the reports, a CSC worker named Faizan Mikrani created fake email IDs using the names of a Hindu couple, Devendra Pandey and his wife, Nandi Pandey, and then used those email accounts to produce a forged permanent residence certificate of Uttarakhand for a man named Raees Ahmad.

Initial information states that Faizan misused 15-year-old documents and an old electricity bill belonging to the Hindu couple. These outdated yet sensitive documents were allegedly used to prepare forged paperwork for Raees Ahmad. Because of this fake certificate, the accused later managed to encroach on government land and even claim benefits under several state schemes meant only for genuine residents.

This entire operation came to light after Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat received a detailed complaint. Following the complaint, an inquiry was launched, and during the process, the involvement of certain government employees also surfaced. This pointed to a wider network where official verification systems may have been misused. The case has now raised serious concerns about how easily public documents can be exploited when oversight is weak.

Raids at two CSC centres uncover widespread forgery network

After the complaint reached him, Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat personally carried out raids on Thursday, 12th November, targeting two Common Service Centres situated in the Banbhulpura area of Haldwani. These centres were directly suspected of issuing forged permanent residence certificates. Once the inspection ended, Commissioner Rawat instructed the officials to register cases against both CSC operators who were found involved.

According to the early findings, the key person behind the forgery was Faizan Mikrani, who was not only running CSC services but also working as a clerk in the Haldwani tehsil. Investigators discovered that Faizan had issued a permanent residence certificate in the name of Raees Ahmed from Uttar Pradesh, but the certificate was actually created for a different person who happened to share the same name. The fraud was detected when the real Raees Ahmed, who lives in Bareilly, complained that someone had illegally generated a residence certificate using his identity.

During the investigation, officials found that Faizan was misusing people’s personal documents and mobile numbers to create fake certificates for ineligible individuals. When Commissioner Rawat raided Faizan’s house and his CSC outlet, authorities recovered a large number of sensitive documents, including Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards, PAN cards, old electricity bills, and other government papers belonging to multiple individuals. These pieces of identification were repeatedly used to build fake identities and forge certificates.

Commissioner Rawat stated that this case exposed a long-running pattern of fraud, where the same documents had been misused again and again to push several illegal applications. He also emphasized that every tehsil must maintain strict transparency and that no government certificate should ever be issued without complete verification.

More officials now under suspicion in the forgery case

During the raids, Commissioner Rawat noticed that Faizan’s second CSC centre was locked. He issued a warning that anyone operating such a service centre without proper permission inside tehsil limits would face strict legal action. As part of the inquiry, he personally spoke to Devendra Pandey, his wife Nandi, and a man named Jalees, whose names had been used by Faizan to create fake email IDs for the illegal activity.

The investigation has now revealed that more government employees may be connected to the fraud, especially those responsible for online verification of certificates. Commissioner Rawat instructed the SDM of Haldwani to question the concerned Patwari and also directed the Police Circle Officer to conduct a deeper probe into the matter.

Officials also discovered that the same old electricity bills had been used repeatedly to produce several forged documents. This has raised serious questions about how such outdated paperwork was so easily accepted as proof in official systems.

Forged papers used to back illegal land encroachment in Banbhoolpura

The Banbhoolpura region of Haldwani has struggled with illegal encroachment for years. With the latest findings, it has now become clear that the forged certificates produced by Faizan were being used by multiple individuals to present themselves as permanent residents of Uttarakhand, even when they were not eligible. These fake documents helped encroachers to occupy government land and even access benefits under state welfare schemes that require valid residence proof.

The investigation suggests that such forged papers played a significant role in increasing unauthorized settlements across the Banbhoolpura area.

Banbhoolpura’s violent history linked to encroachment disputes

Banbhoolpura has witnessed several violent incidents whenever authorities attempted to remove illegal encroachments. One of the most serious episodes occurred in February 2024, when a demolition drive targeted an illegally constructed madrasa built on government land. The situation quickly escalated into large-scale violence. A mob attacked police teams, hurled stones, torched vehicles, and even attempted to surround the Banbhoolpura police station. Multiple police personnel were injured, and public property suffered major damage.

Earlier, Haldwani authorities, following a High Court order, had attempted to clear illegal settlements on land belonging to the Indian Railways. Nearly 4,000 families had been living there without authorization. Protesters—mostly from the Muslim community—argued that the removal would cause severe hardship for women, children, and elderly residents.

According to railway officials, the encroachments had made it extremely difficult to expand railway tracks in the region. Several official proposals to increase railway capacity had been sent to the government, but these efforts were repeatedly blocked due to the settlements that had taken over the railway land.