The Delhi police, on Monday, registered a case of forgery on a complaint by a senior government official alleging that a fake letter issued by the cabinet secretariat about digitisation of land records was being circulated with his forged signature, PTI reported. 

b’The fake letter in circulation | Source: Twitter’

The case was registered against unidentified persons on the complaint of Sheo Nath Singh, an undersecretary in the government, whose signature is there on the letter, the police said.

The letter, which emerged on WhatsApp and has Cabinet Secretariat written on the top, reportedly mandated all the chief secretaries, additional chief secretaries of states and union territories to “complete the digitisation of land records, sale records from 1950 by August 14.”

It also said the government was “considering linking Aadhar numbers with the ownership of said properties” and that those properties that were not linked shall be considered for action under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amended Act, 2016.

In his complaint, Singh said it was only after he started getting calls from people asking about the cabinet notification dated June 15 that he came to know about the matter.

According to Indian Express, DCP (New Delhi district) B K Singh said an FIR has been registered under Sections 469, 471, 465, 466 and 505 of the IPC at South Avenue police station based on the complain.  

Fake news created quite a stir

The letter spread like fire, creating panic among people. While several took to Twitter to either dismiss or hail the ‘government’s decision’, many websites even came up with solutions and steps to link Aadhaar with land.    

The Bubble Burst

Dismissing the reports, the government on Monday issued a notification stating that the letter under circulation was both ‘mischievous and fake’.

Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB), Frank Noronha also tweeted about the fake letter. 

(With inputs from PTI)

(Feature image design credits : Anmol Gambhir)