A massive and sophisticated cyber fraud has sent shockwaves through the administration in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district. The case involves the civil registration system (CRS), where a single village with a tiny population recorded tens of thousands of illegitimate birth entries in a short span, triggering a multi-agency investigation.
The Bizarre Discovery in Shendursani
The alarm bells started ringing during a routine government verification drive aimed at identifying and cancelling illegal delayed registrations. An extension officer from the Arni taluka health department stumbled upon a staggering anomaly in the CRS software. For Shendursani Gram Panchayat, a village with an actual population of just 1,500 residents, the system showed 27,397 birth entries and seven death entries recorded between September and November 2025.
These figures were immediately recognized as grossly disproportionate and physically impossible for the small village. The district health officer (DHO) was informed, who then escalated the matter to the zilla parishad chief executive officer, Mandar Patki.
Multi-Layer Investigation Points to Cyber Crime
Acting swiftly, the authorities constituted an inquiry committee headed by the deputy chief executive officer of the panchayat department. The committee conducted an on-site inspection at Shendursani to verify the details. Their inquiry confirmed that the 27,397 birth records and seven death records did not fall within the gram panchayat's jurisdiction and were highly suspicious.
The technical investigation took an even more revealing turn. Through the deputy director of health services in Pune, a technical analysis using the state login system uncovered a critical clue. The CRS ID (MH18241RE) of Shendursani gram panchayat was found to be mapped to Mumbai, far from its actual location in Yavatmal district. This pointed directly to the handiwork of sophisticated cyber criminals manipulating the system remotely.
National Agencies Brought Into the Probe
The scale of the suspected fraud led the matter to be referred to top national bodies. The office of the additional registrar general of India in New Delhi and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) were roped in for assessment. Their evaluation, communicated on December 11, strongly indicated that the fraudulent entries were created through a cyber fraud operation.
Following these findings, the district health officer filed a formal complaint at the Yavatmal city police station on Tuesday. The police have registered an offence under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
Ongoing Police Action and Next Steps
Police inspector Nandkishor Kale confirmed that a complaint regarding the irregularities in the birth registration entries of Shendursani gram panchayat has been received and a probe is underway. The case highlights a serious vulnerability in vital registration systems that cyber criminals attempted to exploit.
The authorities are now focused on identifying the perpetrators behind this elaborate scheme and understanding the full motive, which could range from creating fake identities to financial fraud linked to government schemes. The technical audit and police investigation are proceeding in tandem to unravel the complete network behind this alarming cyber attack on a government database.
