The Kotwali police station has taken action under the Gangster Act against a gang involved in creating thumbprint clones, fake degrees, Aadhaar cards and other crucial documents. Their ringleader, Imran Khan, is a resident of Maharajganj district. Their network stretched from Gorakhpur city to Maharajganj and they extorted money from unemployed youth by deceiving them.
In May 2025, the Kotwali police station raided the gang’s premises and seized equipment for thumbprint cloning, illegal mark sheets, fake Aadhaar cards and other forged documents. The investigation revealed that Shyam Bihari Gupta, also known as Gangaram, a resident of Bichhiya area in Shahpur, was operating the gang locally. Prepared degrees and documents were sent to Imran Khan in Nichlaul, Maharajganj district. Imran Khan, who lived in a rented house in Humayunpur North under the Gorakhnath police station area, was also using a 3D printer to create thumbprints on tracing paper.
The prints were then given to someone in the Ganesh Chowk area where thumbprint clones were made using flash and polymer stamps. These clones were then used on Aadhaar cards, mark sheets and other documents. The gang lured unemployed youth with promises of government jobs and appointments in private institutions, providing them with fake degrees. They even set up a proper office in the Gulriha area.
Stay Order Ineffective
The degrees issued by the gang bore the names of universities in Ghaziabad and Cherrapunji. However, police verification revealed that no such university existed in Cherrapunji. One gang member, Jayant Pratap Singh, had obtained a court stay order to avoid arrest. However, police officials say this stay order won’t be effective for the case registered under the Gangster Act.
The Gangster Act has been applied against five individuals: Imran Khan, a resident of Court Mohalla, Ward Number 7, Nichlaul, Maharajganj, currently residing in Humayunpur North, Gorakhnath; Shyam Bihari Gupta, a resident of Bichhiya; Sandeep Chauhan, a resident of Dharmpur, Geeta Vatika; Jayant Singh, a resident of Chiutijam, Chilua Tal; and Tabrez, son of Abdul Khalid, a resident of Pandey Mohalla, Nagar Panchayat Nichlaul.
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- Following the registration of the case under the Gangster Act, police are collecting details of the gang’s movable and immovable properties. If necessary, attachment proceedings will also be initiated. - Abhinav Tyagi, SP City
