Nagpur: The growing misuse of fake Aadhaar cards in Nagpur’s red-light areas has emerged as a disturbing tool aiding sex trafficking, particularly involving underage girls. Recent rescue operations by the Social Security Branch (SSB) of the Crime Branch have uncovered a pattern where traffickers use forged Aadhaar documents to manipulate victims’ identities — altering both their age and place of origin.
Earlier this month, a raid at Hotel Paradise on Central Avenue led to the rescue of a woman from Uzbekistan who was shockingly found in possession of an Indian Aadhaar card. Just days later, SSB officials rescued eight women, including five minors, from the Ganga Jamuna red-light area. All the rescued girls, originally from Rajasthan, were carrying Aadhaar cards falsely listing them as adults — effectively denying them protection under India’s anti-trafficking laws.
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13 Sept 2025
Officials revealed that traffickers are now routinely forging Aadhaar cards, presenting minors from West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and nearby districts like Chandrapur, Wardha, and Gondia as legal adults. In many cases, minors are also given steroids to enhance physical maturity, further misleading rescuers during verification.
A particularly horrifying case from 2021 involved a seven-year-old girl kidnapped from Madhya Pradesh. By the age of 10, she had been trafficked multiple times and forced into the sex trade. When she was finally rescued from Ganga Jamuna at 14, she looked physically mature due to prolonged steroid use — even misleading the police, who initially believed she was an adult. Investigations revealed she had been sold for ₹22 lakh.
What was once a transit point, Nagpur has now become a trafficking destination hub, where victims are brought for “conditioning” before being sent to cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Rajasthan.
DCP Mahak Swami, who spearheaded several raids in Ganga Jamuna, confirmed the trend:
“We have encountered multiple cases where minors were passed off as adults using fake Aadhaar cards. The misuse of such a critical identity tool is alarming.”
She urged hoteliers, lodge owners, and landlords to verify Aadhaar authenticity using the mAadhaar app or by scanning the card’s QR code.
“Simple verification steps can prevent the exploitation of vulnerable individuals,” she added.
With trafficking cases rising, experts are calling for:
- Stricter Aadhaar issuance protocols
- Enhanced biometric checks
- Inter-state coordination to dismantle organized trafficking networks
Authorities warn that unless Aadhaar misuse is curbed, traffickers will continue to exploit loopholes, putting more minors at risk.
