Archive · 29 Oct 2025
Siliguri MLA Seeks Certificate Details Amidst Fake Birth-Death Racket in Kharibari
Imagine a place where some people were making fake papers that said babies were born or people had died, even if it wasn't true.
They were selling these fake papers for money.
A good guy, who is like a local leader, heard about this and got suspicious.
He asked the police to look into it.
The police caught two people who were part of this scam.
The local leader also asked for all the official records of birth and death papers from a certain time.
He wants to make sure everything is real because he thinks the fake papers could cause bigger problems, like letting people stay in the country who shouldn't be there.
He believes there might be more people involved than just the two who were caught.
Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh has filed an RTI application seeking details of birth and death certificates issued in Kharibari block.
The RTI request follows the arrest of two individuals involved in issuing hundreds of fake birth and death certificates for cash from Kharibari rural hospital.
The racket allegedly operated by charging ₹10,000 for each fake certificate.
Police arrested Nabhajit Guha and Partha Saha, with Saha having briefly fled to Nepal.
MLA Ghosh suspects a larger network and is seeking data to verify if the issuance rate exceeds the actual birth and death rates, citing concerns about legitimizing infiltrators.
- Who
- Shankar Ghosh, BJP MLA of Siliguri; Nabhajit Guha and Partha Saha (arrested); block medical officer of health of Kharibari
- What
- RTI application filed to investigate a fake birth and death certificate racket; arrests made in connection with the racket
- When
- RTI application filed recently; arrests made following a complaint on October 17; racket active from July onwards
- Where
- Kharibari rural hospital and panchayats under Kharibari block, Darjeeling district
- Why
- To obtain details of birth and death certificates issued, following the discovery of a racket that issued hundreds of fake certificates for money, with concerns that fake certificates could legitimize infiltrators.
Official Action
Further Investigation Needed
Scope of the Racket
Official Action
The arrests of two individuals suggest a contained operation.
Further Investigation Needed
The MLA suspects a larger network due to the scale of fake certificates issued.
Potential Impact of Fake Certificates
Official Action
Focus is on the illegal issuance for financial gain.
Further Investigation Needed
Concern is raised about fake birth certificates potentially legitimizing infiltrators.
- Location
- Kharibari block, Darjeeling district, Siliguri subdivision
- Racket Activity
- Issuing fake birth and death certificates for cash
- Alleged Price
- ₹10,000 per certificate
- Arrested Individuals
- Nabhajit Guha (associated with Bangla Sahatyata Kendra), Partha Saha (data entry operator)
- Affected Areas
- Kharibari rural hospital, potentially neighboring states like Bihar
- RTI Application Details
- Seeking data on certificates issued from July onwards, including names, addresses, and panchayat areas