Nagpur: In a baffling incident, a scrap dealer in Jaripatka was found selling Aadhaar cards to local residents for Rs 20 each. The development exposed flaws in the distribution of Aadhaar cards in the city. The role of concerned officials has also come under the scanner.
According to local Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Prabhat Agrawal, he received information that a scrap dealer from Christian Colony in Mecosabagh was distributing Aadhaar cards from his residence. The scrap dealer admitted to having found the Aadhaar cards in the junk and giving them to his neighbour. Agrawal claimed to have found around 250 Aadhaar cards with a scrap dealer.
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The scrap dealer’s shop is near Kadbi Chowk. The neighbour and the scrap dealer called on the phone numbers given on the Aadhaar cards and handed them over to people for Rs 20 each, said Agrawal who later lodged a complaint with Jaripatka police in this connection. Acting on the complaint, cops rounded up the scrap dealer and are investigating the matter thoroughly.
According to police, a rag picker found a bunch of Aadhaar cards near Guru Nanak School on Sunday. He sold the Aadhaar cards with other material to the scrap dealer. Police claimed that the scrap dealer checked the Aadhaar cards and returned some of them to locals. He phoned the persons and gave the Aadhaar cards to them, said police.
The AAP leader further said that when he asked about an Aadhaar card, the scrap dealer told him to collect it from his neighbour. He claimed that after gaining their confidence, they handed him over a bunch of Aadhaar cards. Who gave so many Aadhaar cards to the scrap dealer? This is a matter of investigation, he said.
Aadhaar card is delivered by UIDAI to the residential address through post only. The card comes inside an envelope. However, in this case, all the cards are without the envelope. No private party has the right to distribute the card this way, said Agrawal. Aadhaar card is considered as a valid ID proof in almost all government offices. Misuse of so many cards lying with the scrap dealer cannot be ruled out, Agrawal said.
The AAP leader suspects that the Aadhaar cards might be bogus too. Police said they will try to verify this during questioning of the scrap dealer. Preliminary inquiry reveals that the scrap dealer might have found the cards somewhere in the city and called up the card holders to hand them over. Agrawal demanded proper investigation in the case as the case related to national security.
