Hyderabad Police have arrested a 36-year-old man for allegedly running an unauthorised operation to alter Aadhaar and PAN card details, including photographs, dates of birth, names and addresses, from Pahadishareef. Police said the altered documents were used by customers to obtain mobile phone SIM cards, access government schemes and secure private factory jobs in and around the city.
The accused, identified as Ch. Mahadev, is a resident of Jalpally and operated a photocopy centre called Kavitha A to Z Online Services in Budwel. According to the police, he also carried out the unauthorised activity from his residence in Sriram Colony, Jalpally, using online software to modify identity documents.
Police said Mahadev charged ₹300 to change the date of birth on an Aadhaar card. The reported fee for changing all details ranged from ₹700 to ₹1,000. The operation involved alterations to several categories of personal information, including identity photographs and residential addresses.
The arrest was made by the Hyderabad Police Commissioner’s Task Force, Shamshabad Zone, along with personnel from Pahadishareef police. Officers seized ₹5,000 in cash, 60 fake or altered Aadhaar cards, two PAN cards, a laptop, printer, lamination machine and a mobile phone, according to the report.
The seized material and the accused were handed over to Pahadishareef police for further action. The report did not specify the sections under which the case was registered or whether any customers who allegedly used the altered documents had been identified or arrested.
Police said Mahadev told investigators that he entered the activity to earn easy money because the income from his photocopy centre was not sufficient to support his family. He had studied up to Class VII, according to the police account cited in the report.
The case highlights how neighbourhood document and online-service centres can become points of contact between residents and formal identity systems. In the reported case, the alleged alterations were not limited to one document type: Aadhaar and PAN records were both involved, while the stated uses extended to telecommunications, government benefits and employment.
The operation also illustrates the practical importance of identity details in city life. A date of birth, address, photograph or name can determine how an individual is verified while applying for a service, responding to an administrative requirement or seeking employment. The police seizure indicates that the alleged activity involved physical document production as well as digital alteration and lamination.
The investigation has now been transferred to Pahadishareef police with the seized devices and documents. Further action will depend on the examination of the material and the police investigation into the alleged alterations and the use of the documents.
