The Islampur district court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate on Monday sentenced Muzaffar Alam and Saiful Alam to five years of imprisonment, a fine of Rs 2 lakh, and an additional year if they fail to pay the fine.

Muzaffar, Saiful, and a minor are accused of having planned and executed a fraud to steal money by bypassing biometric security.

According to Special Public Prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee, the trio acquired genuine fingerprints through stolen property deeds, altered them using Photoshop, traced them using tracing paper, and then transferred them onto three-dimensional polymer sheets.

These counterfeit fingerprints were then used to deceive biometric authentication systems in various financial applications, likely involving the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System. The perpetrators also used a GPS emulator to manipulate their location during transactions.

Acting on a tip, the Islampur Cyber Crime Police Station conducted a raid in Chopra and apprehended the suspects. Police seized forged fingerprints, scanners, electronic equipment, and stolen data.

An investigation, including forensic analysis and witness testimonies, reportedly revealed accounts created using stolen data, linked to the accused.