Nagpur, Dec 30 (PTI) The forest department in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district has busted a racket that duped the authorities by using fake Aadhaar cards to book safaris at the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) from the quota meant for local residents, an official said on Tuesday.

Specific seats in the Cruiser Safari are reserved under the 'local quota' for the residents of Chandrapur district in the tiger reserve, Conservator of Forests and Field Director of the TATR Prabhu Nath Shukla said in a release.

But certain individuals misused this arrangement and booked a total of seven cruiser safari tickets using five different IDs on December 19. During the Christmas holidays, TATR's Moharli Tourism Gate Manager Avinash Ganvir, along with the Range Forest Officer (Wildlife) and staff, conducted a rigorous verification of tourists' documents during the morning safari session.

During this check, nine out of 23 tourists were found to have indulged in discrepancies (digital alterations) in their Aadhaar card photos and details, the release said.

The remaining 10 tourists refused to produce their identity proofs. Preliminary inquiry revealed that while local residents' Aadhaar numbers were used to book the safari tickets, the physical Aadhaar cards had been digitally manipulated by superimposing photos of tourists from outside the district, it added.

It also come to light that in the Kolara Gate area, certain individuals were luring tourists with promises of safaris in exchange for exorbitant fees, the release said, adding that the malpractice of booking tickets under local names, cancelling them at the last minute, and then sending their own clients in those slots has been exposed.

Considering the gravity of the incident, based on the report by Deputy Director (Core) Anand Reddy Yellu and under the orders of Field Director Shukla, the Range Forest Officer (Protection) lodged a complaint at the Durgapur police station on Tuesday.

Strict legal action will be taken against the masterminds and accomplices involved in this racket following the police investigation, the officials said.

Nath said, "We are committed to maintaining transparency in Tadoba's tourism system. Forging identity documents is a serious criminal offence. Tourists should not fall prey to the false promises of any such touts. Henceforth, strict verification of identity documents will be conducted at all entry gates, and if found guilty, legal action will also be taken against tourists as co-accused." A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the concerned agents and individuals for fraud at the Durgapur police station on December 30. PTI CLS NP

Safari quota fraud using fake Aadhaar uncovered; FIR filed and strict identity verification and legal action initiated. Use of forged Aadhaar cards to exploit a local-resident safari quota at Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve was uncovered: multiple bookings used local Aadhaar numbers while physical cards were digitally altered to substitute photos of non-residents, several tourists either presented manipulated IDs or refused identification, and intermediaries were cancelling and reallocating slots. A complaint was filed and an FIR registered for fraud, with police investigation and mandatory identity verification at all entry gates and potential prosecution of masterminds, accomplices and complicit tourists.