Rs 5,500 is all it costs to get fake ID cards

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The Lieutenant Governer has announced that everyone in Delhi must carry a photo-ID. But is the bigger security problem actually being ignored in the bargain — that of petty corruption at the offices that issue such I-cards? A CNN-IBN Special Investigation shows how easy it is to get perfectly legal identification documents for a totally fictitious person. Read on...

New Delhi: A terrorist could easily acquire foolproof Indian identity for a few thousand rupees, a CNN-IBN investigation has revealed.

Anand Kumar Gupta is a fictitious person and was created on a computer. It’s what a sleeper terrorist cell would do — create a fake identity and live anonymously.

Legally, only the hospital where one is born or the Sub-Divisional Magistrate's office can issue a birth certificate. But Subhash, a seasoned tout from South Delhi, knows otherwise.

On June 19, 2007, two members of the CNN-IBN special investigation team went undercover to crack a deal with Subhash to get hold of a birth certificate, just for Rs 3,000.

CNN-IBN: "Birth certificate banwana hai." ("I need to get a birth certificate made.")

Subhash: Certificate toh ban jayega." (I'll get a certificate made.)

CNN-IBN: "Toh bana lo." ("So get it done.")

Subhash: "Lekin janam ka jo address hai, vo hum apne hisab se dalenge." (But we will put the address of birth according to our convenience.")

CNN-IBN: "Theek hai." ("That's alright.")

Subhash mentioned a South Delhi address on the form, but assured the CNN-IBN team that the birth certificate was genuine.

Subhash: "Jaise hi hum apko certificate dein, kahin bhi Internet pe jake website khol ke dekh lena. Koi problem nahi hai." (You can check on the Internet to see if you have been registered after we give you the birth certificate. There will be no problem.")

CNN-IBN: "Kitna lagega paisa?" ("How much will it cost?")

Subhash: "Total Rs 3,000. Police ka bhi, andar ka bhi, bahar ka bhi." ("Total Rs 3,000 — I have to pay the police too and some officials and some for myself.")

It takes just Rs 3,000 to give birth to Anand Kumar Gupta in Delhi's official records. And there is more. The CNN-IBN team also managed to pick up a PAN card issued by the Income tax Department.

A chance encounter with Uttam, a former employee of Delhi's Transport Office, who makes a living bribing policemen and RTO officials, gets Anand's driving license made.

Uttam: "Aapka toh koi proof nahi hai, Delhi ka. Na ration card, na school ka certificate. Do affidavit banega. Iska lagega Rs 2,500" ("You have no proof of anything in Delhi — no ration card or school certificate. You will need two affidavits. It will cost Rs 2,500.")

And that's all it costs — a minimal Rs 2,500 to get a genuine driving license in India's national Capital, with no checks and no verification and to subvert a system managed by the Delhi Police.

Uttam: "Saboot koi nahi hai aapke paas. Jugaar se karvaunga aapka kaam. Pehle learning banega, aur phir ek mahine baad license milega." ("You have no identity proof. I will have to use my contacts to get your license made. You will first get a learning license and after a month, you will get the license.")

Uttam: "Aap paisa feko tamasha dekho. Shukar karo aapka kaam ho jaye." ("Just give us the money and see how we get your work done. You should be grateful your work is getting done so easily.")

And Uttam echoes what every tout in the country does as a matter of practice — "Andar sahab ko dena hota hai bhai, jo karega dealing." ("I have to further bribe the official who will officiate your license.")

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