Sambhajinagar police register FIR after MP flags yellow ration cards forgery

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Three days after former MP Syed Imtiaz Jaleel flagged the issue of suspected racketeers preparing forged yellow ration cards and caste certificates in the names of top political leaders, including chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, the district civil supplies department has registered an FIR against unidentified people.Jaleel, while demanding an SIT probe, alleged that through forged documents, a scam of about Rs23 crore is suspected to have been committed.The complaint was lodged by Bharati Bhaskar Wakode (40), a foodgrain distribution officer with the district supply office (DSO). Based on her complaint, police registered a case against unknown suspects for allegedly preparing and using a forged yellow ration card to obtain benefits under state's Ramai Awas Yojana.According to the FIR, the unidentified accused allegedly fabricated a yellow ration card bearing number YP 348261, application number 343638 and code number 251605 in the name of Eknath Sambhaji Shinde, showing the address as Ambedkar Nagar in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.City Chowk police inspector Nirmala Pardeshi said, "According to the complaint, it is suspected that the forged ration card carried fake office seals and signatures of a competent authority to make it appear authentic. The suspects allegedly used the fabricated document as a genuine one with the intention of availing financial benefits under various government schemes, including the Ramai housing scheme.