Express Impact | Police records statement in fake Aadhar used to shift Voter ID case

Deputy Collector and Deputy District Election Officer Minal Kalaskar told The Indian Express that they were unsure how such a change happened without Gupta receiving an OTP

3 min readPuneUpdated: Aug 6, 2026 09:50 PM IST

Police records statement in fake Aadhar used to shift Voter ID case

While the number on the fake Aadhaar card did not exist, local election officials accepted it and the address change was approved, leaving Prajwal Gupta (in photo) to become a resident of Indapur. (Express photo)

Bhosari MIDC police on Wednesday recorded the statement of complainant in a case of a fake Aadhar card used to change the address on a voter ID. The move comes a day after The Indian Express reported on the issue of the address change.

Even though the complainant, Prajwal Gupta, had filed a Cyber Crime complaint in December 2025, no action was taken till August 2026. Gupta has alleged that an unidentified third party has used a fake Aadhar card to change his Voter ID (EPIC) address from Bhosari to Indapur.

Police Inspector Bhojraj Misal of the Bhosari MIDC Police Station told The Indian Express, “The District Collector has written to us that Prajwal Gupta’s photo has been used but the Aadhar number is wrong. We will investigate and lodge an FIR. We got the letter yesterday. We have recorded the statement and we will get the CDR of the phone numbers we have received.”

Also Read | How a fake Aadhaar slipped through — and shifted a voter’s address

Before the Maharashtra Local Body elections in 2026, an online Form 8 application was filed to change the Voter ID address by unknown persons and Gupta received no OTP, he says. A fake Aadhar Card with Gupta’s photo but a non-existent Aadhar number was submitted as proof, which was accepted and approved by the Booth Level Officer and Electoral Registration Officer.

Deputy Collector and Deputy District Election Officer Minal Kalaskar told The Indian Express that they were unsure how such a change happened without Gupta receiving an OTP, and that her office was asking the police to investigate the matter. However, the Aadhar-based OTP verification was introduced only in September last year after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi raised issues with the process. The request for Gupta’s change in address was made before September.

“The inspector called me and they said that the Collector Office has asked us to inquire into your case. We need you to come to the police station to record your statement,” Gupta said.

Gupta had previously also approached the police station however he was turned away and told that he must complain to the Election Commission of India (ECI) as the issue falls under their purview. Gupta had also sent email complaints to the Pune Deputy District Election Officer, Election Commission of India, and Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer but got no response. His complaints on the ECI website were closed down without any meaningful resolution.

Story continues below this ad

“I was very disturbed because at that time, when I went to the police station as well, they did not entertain my complaint. And even after I had filed the online complaint, nobody had reached out to me in terms of helping me out or at least acknowledging the problem I was facing. But now that I have come to the press, they all are, you know, very enthusiastic or maybe under pressure to solve the case.

So without any pressure or without any incentive, these people are not working,” Gupta told The Indian Express.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:
pune

Loading Recommendations...

Aug 11: Latest News

Live Blog