A day before the beginning of this year's Amarnath Yatra, Jammu and Kashmir Police busted a gang involved in providing fake registration Yatra slips to the devotees.
Police said that two buses carrying 68 Amarnath Pilgrims originating from the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh were reported at Shri Chichi Mata mandir for e-KYC verification and issuance of RFID Cards.
During the investigation, the Yatra permits of most of the pilgrims were found tampered with and issued fraudulently by an agent operating from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
The pilgrims said their fake registration was done by one Rahul Bhardwaj, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, who reportedly took Rs 7,000 per head for the same.
Deputy Commissioner Samba Abhishek Sharma said that the Yatra permits of most of the pilgrims were tampered with.
"On further inquiry from the pilgrims and drivers, it was revealed that these passengers got permits from one Rahul Bhardwaj of Muzaffarnagar in exchange of Rs 7,000 per head", he said.
Case registered against travel agent
The district administration and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Benam Tosh got registered an FIR under Sections 420 and 468 of the IPC.
"The District Magistrate, Muzaffarnagar, has also been requested to initiate legal action against the culprits namely Rahul Bhardwaj and others," an official spokesperson said.
The pilgrims were provided with RFID cards after fresh registration.
The authorities have requested all Yatris 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.
DySP among four injured during Yatra
A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) of Jammu and Kashmir Police and other three others were injured after an Amarnath Security Convoy Vehicle met with an accident near Bali Nallah on Jammu Srinagar National Highway at Udhampur.
The injured were first shifted to the district hospital Udhampur and later moved to Army Hospital for advanced treatment.
