Mumbai police forms SIT to investigate fake birth certificate scam

Mumbai: In a significant development in Maharashtra, the Mumbai police on Tuesday set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate offences of providing fake birth registration certificates by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to people including foreign nationals.

The BMC’s Health department found that more than 87,347 bogus birth certificates were allegedly issued between 2024 and 2026 by manipulating official records.

Former BJP MP Dr Kirit Somaiya had been flagging the issue of fake birth certificates issued by municipal bodies to people including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas.

After the SIT was announced, Somaiya thanked Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.

The SIT will be headed by Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Laxmi Gautam and comprises the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Mumbai, Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch), Mumbai, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection).

Last week, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde asked the BMC officials to crackdown on the issuance of fake birth certificates. “Criminal cases will be filed against the doctors and health officials who issued these fake certificates,” she said.

Besides, she also asked the BMC to seize 237 fake birth certificates issued to illegal residents within one month.

Describing the scam as a 'BMC birth certificates mahaghotala’, Somaiya had earlier filed a complaints police stations across Mumbai including Mulund, Deonar, Shivaji Nagar, Kurla, Mankhurd and Azad Maidan.

Besides, he had also taken up the issue with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister.

“Two parallel birth registration system were operated simultaneously by BMC’s health officials fraudulently during 1 January 2024 to 31 March 2026 - Government’s CRS System (33,772 registrations) and BMC SAP system (87,347 registrations). The BMC SAP system was shut down on 31 December 2015, however, 87,347 certificates were issued in a corrupt manner,” he said.