Williamnagar, August 19 : The Office of the Deputy Commissioner, East Garo Hills District, has uncovered a case of fraudulent issuance of Schedule Tribe (ST) certificates by a Common Service Centre (CSC) operator in Rongsa, East Garo Hills.
According to officials, Jonathon B. Sangma, Manager/Operator of the Rainbow CSC, illegally issued ST certificates to at least five individuals without authorization. The matter came to light when one of the beneficiaries attempted to use the forged certificate to apply for an Aadhaar Card. During QR code verification, the Aadhaar operator detected the fake certificate, leading to the exposure of the scam.
Authorities have termed the act as highly illegal and tantamount to criminal offence. The Deputy Commissioner’s Office has stressed that such actions violate criminal offence under section 319 (2), 335, 234 and 337 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanihita which carry stringent penalties.
The administration has further issued a stern warning to all CSC operators, cyber cafes, kiosks, and browsing centres across East Garo Hills. If found issuing fraudulent certificates, such as ST/SC certificates, birth certificates, income or residence certificates, or documents for recruitment into armed or police forces, operators will be booked under the relevant sections of law.
