LAHORE, PAKISTAN: Fingerprint identification, which was supposed to be the last barrier to stop forgery in NADRA (National Database & Registration Authority) and the Passport Department, is now being rendered useless by the use of ‘gummy fingers’ (artificial fingerprints) with the cooperation of officials.
People claim that by paying Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000, anyone could get a CNIC (Computerized National Identity Card) and passport with not only a bogus address, but also with different fingerprints!
“The use of ‘gummy finger’ is a unique idea that was generated by some officials. The main customers are hardened criminals who want to hide their identities and leave the country using this modus operandi since it’s the only way through which they can get more than one original CNIC and passport with different identities,” the sources said.
In this method, the agent who is hired by the ‘client’ prepares fake identification documents and links them with any family tree already in the NADRA records. Then the agent forwards a copy of that document to his accomplice (official) inside the NADRA office for approval. Afterwards, the client goes through a routine process and gets a token from NADRA for the preparation of his CNIC. Later, when the client reaches the NADRA office for his entry into the database, the official inside the office handles the client himself and registers him into the database.
At this time, the official uses a ‘gummy finger’ for registering the client’s thumb impression in NADRA’s records. After getting the CNIC through this modus operandi, the agent completes the documents for a computerised passport and by using the same method, an official inside the passport office registers the thumb and finger impressions in the passport office’s records.