CHENNAI: Now forging Aadhaar details like fingerprints during the registration of property will become impossible in Tamil Nadu, as the registration department has implemented a new security measure to combat fraud during the document registration process.
All 582 sub-registrar offices in the state now have fingerprint scanner facilities, and the buyer-seller’s biometrics will be matched against the one-crore-plus sample data bank they have.
This will serve as an additional safety measure to prevent fraud while registering documents.
Since 2018, the registration department has collected fingerprints from buyers and sellers, amassing a database of one crore fingerprints.
“Now, when a seller comes to register his property, his fingerprint scanning will be done. The deed will be registered only if it matches that available in the database,” said IG registration Dinesh Ponraj Oliver.
For individuals whose fingerprints are not in the database, the existing Aadhaar verification process will be used.
“We are already doing Aadhaar verification for registration, but some people are forging the Aadhaar document,” Oliver added.
Commercial taxes and registration minister P Moorthy inaugurated the facility in Chennai on Thursday.
On average, 13,000 to 14,000 sale deeds are registered in the state every day. During auspicious days, the number increases to 20,000. Out of this, 45% are from Chennai and Chengalpet.
Sources said many cases of fraudulent registrations by forging Aadhaar cards have been cropping up in sub-registrar offices across the state.
Property consultants point out that this a good move. “This will prevent registration of unclaimed property using forged documents. This will protect buyers, but this should be monitored properly,” said S Ramprabhu, CMDA and DTCP committee chairman, Builders Association of India (BAI).
