As many as 68 pilgrims for Amarnath Yatra were found carrying fake registration or Yatra permits in Samba district, triggering registration of an FIR on Thursday.
The pilgrims said their fake registration was done by one Rahul Bhardwaj, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, who reportedly took Rs 7,000 per head for the same.
The fraud came to light after the permits of the 68 pilgrims, who came in two buses, were checked at the e-KYC verification centre in Samba for issuance of RFID cards.
Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma stated, “Yatra permits of most of the pilgrims were tampered with. On further inquiry from the pilgrims and drivers, it was revealed that these passengers got permits from one Rahul Bhardwaj of Muzaffarnagar in exchange of Rs 7,000 per head.” The district administration and SSP Benam Tosh got registered an FIR under Sections 420 and 468 of the IPC.
“The District Magistrate, Muzaffarnagar, has also been requested to initiate legal action against the culprits namely Rahul Bhardwaj and others,” the statement issued by the DC mentioned.The pilgrims were provided RFID cards after fresh registration.
The DC requested the pilgrims to keep their authentic Yatra permits along with Aadhaar cards for proper e-KYC verification at the RFID counters.
