5,000 Aadhaar cards seized from Jaipur scrap shop

Jaipur: Nearly 5,000 Aadhaar cards, along with their dispatch envelops and Rs 5 postal stamps, were found in a scrap dealer’s shop in Jaipur on Thursday, raising serious questions about the government’s claims about security of the Aadhaar cards and their delivery system.

The original Aadhaar cards, belonging to residents of Jalupura, reached the shop in a sack of old newspapers sold to scrap dealer Imran, the police said. “It appears to be a parcel of Aadhaar cards which were to be delivered by post,” said station house officer (SHO) of Jalupura police station Likhma Ram. A probe has bee launched into the matter, he said.

Congress leader and ward councillor Ikramddin Khan, who filed a complaint with postal department, said that children brought to his notice the presence of such a large number Aadhar cards at the scrap dealer’s shop. He took possession of the cards and informed the police.

Mr Khan said he filed complaint with the GPO and a copy of that was given to the police.

“The cards belong to area residents who have been waiting for them for months,” he said.

“There are 4,000 to 5,000 Aadhar cards of people in my ward. Instead of reaching to the people they belong, they ended up at scrap dealer’s shop in a sack. Some alert children informed me about them,” Mr Khan said.

Mr Khan added that he has handed over all the cards to postal department official Ashok Sharma who said that the matter would be investigated.

The Congress leader said it shows how careless and insensitive the government is. “Imagine the mental torture and agony, the children and their parents went through because Aadhar card are mandatory for admission in schools. A large number of Aadhar cards found in the sack at the scrap dealer’s shop are in the name of school going children,” he said, demanding action against those responsible.