Surat: The Special Operations Group of the city police on Tuesday apprehended two brothers from Bihar for allegedly using forged Aadhaar cards with fake Hindu names to rent a house and secure employment at a diamond factory in the city.

The elder brother was presented in court on Tuesday and remanded to police custody for two days, while the younger, a 17-year-old, was sent to a juvenile home in Katargam.

Acting on a tip-off, the Special Operations Group (SOG) conducted a raid on Monday evening at a third-floor apartment in Shiv Heritage, located in Sagrampura area. There, officers found two individuals identifying themselves as Pradeep Maurya and Pankaj Maurya, claiming to be from Katihar district in Bihar and employed at a diamond unit in Katargam.

However, during questioning, both admitted to using fake Aadhaar cards. The elder brother was identified as 25-year-old Mohammed Afridi Wajidali. Police said the brothers resorted to identity fraud after facing difficulties in finding accommodation. Allegedly, when they found a flat in Sagrampura, the owner informed them it was only available to tenants from the Hindu community. To bypass this restriction, they obtained Aadhaar cards using fictitious Hindu names.

These forged IDs were also allegedly used to get jobs at the diamond factory. The duo had been staying in Surat for a year and have now been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 319, 336(2), 336(3), 338, and 340. DeshGujarat