Amarnath Yatra 2023: Jammu and Kashmir administration busted a racket for issuing fake registration slips to Amarnath pilgrims when two buses carrying devotees from Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh reached in Samba, an official said.
When the bus carrying 68 Amarnath pilgrims arrived at Shri Chichi Mata Mandir, Samba, for e-KYC verification and issuance of RFID cards, the fraud came to light, he said.
On verification by the vigilant e-KYC Team of District Samba, led by the District Informatics Officer, it was found that the yatra permits of most of the pilgrims were tampered with, he said.
On further inquiry from the pilgrims and drivers, it revealed that these passengers got permits in exchange for Rs 7000 per head from Rahul Bhardwaj, an agent of Vikas Bus Services operating from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Under the supervision of Samba District Magistrate Abhishek Sharma and SSP Benam Tosh, the administration immediately swung into action, and the police took cognizance of the incident.
Consequently, an FIR under Sections 420/468 of the IPC has been registered at Police Station Samba. The District Magistrate Muzaffarnagar has also been requested to initiate legal action against the culprits, namely Rahul Bhardwaj and others responsible for cheating these gullible pilgrims so that no innocent pilgrims further fall prey to such kinds of fraud.
The pilgrims shall be assisted in getting RFID cards, which will be issued after fresh registration. All Yatris are requested to keep their authentic Yatra Permits along with their Aadhaar Card for proper e-KYC verification at the RFID counters, and all Yatris are also requested to keep the RFID cards with them during the Yatra.
(With ANI inputs)
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