A complainant alleged that an individual who had recently moved from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, managed to secure a residency certificate in Haldwani using forged documents just two months earlier.

Commissioner Rawat then launched a discreet inquiry, which traced the application back to a local deed writer operating within the Haldwani tehsil. "This investigation exposed the clear involvement of middlemen actively facilitating fraud," a source close to the Commissioner’s office said.

The probe led Commissioner Rawat to raid a Common Service Centre (CSC) in the Banbhulpura area. Officials recovered several incriminating documents, leading to the registration of a case against the alleged document writer, Faizan, and the beneficiary, Laik.

Police investigations later revealed the alleged complicity of an employee from the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL). Banbhulpura police subsequently arrested all three accused individuals, who have since been sent to jail.

The administration has stated that the investigation is ongoing. "We are scrutinising documents daily," SDM Rahul Shah added. "Our aim is to conclude the verification of all targeted certificates within the next 10 to 15 days, the figure of which is expected to be around 1,200."

Authorities are also monitoring several other deed writers suspected of involvement in similar rackets. Several have already been issued official notices by the district administration as efforts continue to clean up residency records across the district.