K'taka cops share Aadhaar info of scam victims

BENGALURU: Even whilst the security and privateness of information secured via the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under its Aadhaar project is being wondered, Karnataka police have shared private details — together with Aadhaar numbers — of sufferers of the Gruha Kalyan housing scam on an open network.
TOI spotted that personal details similar to names, addresses, touch numbers and Aadhaar numbers excluding other details of one,157 complainants — the sufferers of the estimated Rs 79 crore scam —had been uploaded on a police web page, and had been available till the time of going to the clicking on Wednesday. Also indexed had been PAN numbers of complainants along the sums they'd paid and the moneys refunded.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is investigating the scam which got here to light in 2016. Officers probing the case had claimed the accused had floated corporations similar to Dreamz Infra India Ltd and Gruha Kalyan Private Limited and duped other folks crores of rupees. The whole scam spanning a number of towns is estimated at over Rs 500 crore.

Victims are actually aghast at the callous way by which their details had been shared on a public platform via the police. The sufferers TOI spoke to mention they had been unaware that their private details had been indexed on the web page.

Dr C Giridharan from Chennai, who used to be allegedly cheated out of Rs 6 lakh, stated: “Why should police proportion someone’s details on an open discussion board. This is shocking to mention the least.” Ashok, every other sufferer, stated he wasn’t asked for consent ahead of his Aadhaar quantity used to be uploaded on the web page.

Kislay Chaudhary, chairman and CEO of Indian Cyber Army, a cyber security group, and an analyst to cybercrime investigation gadgets of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi, stated police are in breach of UIDAI laws. “With Aadhaar numbers in hand, miscreants can get right of entry to financial and social details of the folks,” he stated. “This knowledge can easily be misused.”

Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, someone, entity or agency, which is in ownership of Aadhaar quantity(s) of Aadhaar quantity holders, shall ensure security and confidentiality of the Aadhaar numbers and of any report or database containing the Aadhaar numbers.

M Mohan Reddy, convener of State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC), revealed the principles concerning Aadhaar used to be made stringent under the Aadhaar Act. “Previously shall we show Aadhaar details, but the Act has been modified and we can't put up Aadhaar numbers any more,” Reddy stated. “Now, nobody is permitted to put up Aadhaar details.”

Times View

Critics argue that such a huge and potentially lucrative database similar to Aadhaar can never be absolutely secured and too incessantly, lax government officials and now police have lent credence to this view. No topic how stridently UIDAI claims that knowledge received under the Aadhaar project is secure, voters are not going to be consoled especially since fraudsters had been in a position to achieve into financial institution accounts of other folks with even much less knowledge than UIDAI has under its thumb. With police too leaking private knowledge, one wonders who UIDAI can name on to make sure strict motion.