A major birth registration scam has been uncovered in the rural area of the Yavatmal district in Maharashtra. In an alarming revelation from Shendursani Gram Panchayat in Arni taluka of the district, 27,397 births were recorded for a population of 1,500 in the civil registration system (CRS) within three months from September to November. The matter first came to light on 24th November, and an FIR was lodged at the Yavatmal city police station on Tuesday (16th December) on the complaint of the district health officer (DHO). The FIR was registered under Sections 318(4), 337, 336(3), and 304(2) and Sections 65 and 66 of the IT Act. “A complaint regarding irregularities in birth registration entries of Shendursani has been received, and a probe has been launched,” said Police Inspector Nandkishor Kale.
Biggest Birth Certificate Scam of India
— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) December 17, 2025
27,397 birth registration took place in September 2025, in Shendursani Village of Yavatmal District. Village Population is 1,500.
Most of these 27397 are above 18 year of Age & doesn't belongs to Maharashtra.
I am visiting today… pic.twitter.com/Sg2RPr5dFm
Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya visited the village on Wednesday (17th December) and demanded an investigation into the matter. Speaking to the media, Somaiya expressed the suspicion that the credentials of the gram panchayat’s computer operator might have been misused by someone.
Visited Sendur Sani Village at Yavatmal
— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) December 17, 2025
27397 birth registration done in September, October, November 2025 through Gram Panchayat Terminal. Th
ALL belongs to West Bengal, North India, Bangladeshi e.g.
Kitaboon Nissa
Mohammed Azad
Shamshad Ahmad
Khurshid Alam
It's interstate… pic.twitter.com/6eNA2dt2jy
In a post on X, he said there are suspicions that thousands of Bangladeshis are beneficiaries. He has requested an SIT investigation into the matter.
27,397 birth certificates registered/issued in last 100 days in village Sendur Senior, population of 1394 (census of 2011)
— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) December 18, 2025
Suspect thousands #Bangladeshi are Beneficiaries
Requested SIT investigation pic.twitter.com/taEQC6xphc
He said that most of the names found in the records belong to people from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and surrounding regions. “I have spoken to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanded that all these birth registration entries be cancelled,” Somaiya added. Notably, the CRS ID (MH18241RE) of Shendursani gram panchayat was also found mapped in Mumbai, indicating a cyber fraud.
A verification drive was initiated at the direction of the state government on 16th December to identify and cancel illegal and delayed birth and death registrations in the gram panchayat. During the verification, the officials of the health department in Arni came across 27,397 birth entries and seven death entries recorded between September and November 2025 in the CRS software. The numbers were clearly disproportionate to the actual population of the village.
Consequently, the DHO informed Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mandar Patki, about the anomaly. The CEO constituted an inquiry committee headed by the deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Panchayat department. An on-site inspection was conducted by the committee at the village, which revealed that 27,397 birth records and seven death records did not fall within the gram panchayat’s jurisdiction and were considered highly suspicious.
Subsequently, a technical investigation was initiated by the Deputy Director of Health Services, Pune. The investigation done using the state login system disclosed that the CRS ID of Shendursani has been mapped to Mumbai. Thereafter, the case was referred to the office of the Additional Registrar General of India, New Delhi, and the National Informatics Centre (NIC). According to their assessment, this was a case of cyberfraud. The finding was then communicated to the Deputy Director of Health Services, Pune, on 11th December, who subsequently informed the Zill Parishad.
