Agra: Police Uncover Sophisticated Banking Fraud Using Cloned Thumb Impressions
In a chilling development that raises serious questions about biometric security, Aligarh cybercrime police have busted a sophisticated banking fraud operation where thumb impressions were allegedly cloned from publicly available tehsil records and used to illegally withdraw money from victims' bank accounts.
Mastermind Arrested in Inter-District Operation
Police have arrested the alleged mastermind, Shivam Kumar, 30, a resident of Sagara village in Fatehpur district, in connection with the elaborate racket. Aligarh DSP (crime) Sarjana Singh revealed that "The accused had fraudulently withdrawn nearly Rs 35 lakh from multiple victims. Police are now probing the possibility of a larger network and examining whether biometric data visible in public documents was systematically misused."
How the Fraud Was Executed
The accused allegedly exploited documents available on the stamp and registration department website. He downloaded registered property deed records from various tehsils, extracted Aadhaar numbers and scanned thumb impressions, and then created fake biometric replicas or cloned fingerprints using sophisticated techniques.
Using these forged fingerprints, investigators said the accused authenticated transactions on biometric devices and transferred funds from victims' bank accounts into his banking correspondent (BC) wallet using Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) applications. The stolen money was later withdrawn in cash from public service centers across multiple districts.
Technical Details and Modus Operandi
During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that he learned the technique of creating cloned thumb impressions and carrying out AEPS-based withdrawals through online sources, including instructional videos on the internet. Police confirmed he had purchased an online rubber-stamp making machine for Rs 14,000, which he used specifically to create the cloned thumb impressions that bypassed biometric security systems.
Case Origins and Investigation Details
The case came to light after Ramniwas, a resident of Hathras, registered a police complaint in 2023 alleging that Rs 5.8 lakh was fraudulently withdrawn from his account between September 2022 and March 2023. A case under IPC section 420 (cheating) and section 66D of the IT Act was registered against an unknown person initially.
After a months-long investigation spanning multiple districts, the accused was finally arrested from the Khedki Daula area in Gurgaon on Tuesday. Investigators discovered that while the complainant's account was maintained at Canara Bank in Aligarh, the fraudulent withdrawals were actually carried out from Fatehpur, indicating a carefully planned inter-district operation designed to evade detection.
Evidence Recovered and Criminal History
Police recovered substantial evidence from the accused, including 689 fingerprint clones, six mobile phones, 13 SIM cards, two biometric machines, and a laptop. Authorities also revealed that the accused has previous criminal cases registered against him, including charges of cheating and other anti-social activities in both Fatehpur and Kanpur districts, suggesting a pattern of fraudulent behavior.
This case highlights significant vulnerabilities in biometric security systems and raises urgent questions about the safety of personal data available in public records. As digital transactions become increasingly common in India, such sophisticated fraud techniques pose serious challenges to financial security systems that rely on biometric authentication.
