Two e-stamp vendors in Gujarat’s Mahisagar district have been caught charging excess fees following an undercover sting operation orchestrated by the local administration. The illicit practice came to light after administrative officials, posing as ordinary citizens, uncovered vendors charging Rs 110 for stamp papers with a face value of Rs 100.
Deputy Collector HT Makwana, known across the region for conducting surprise inspections to expose bureaucratic lapses, spearheaded the initiative to verify whether e-stamping centres were complying with government mandates. Under his direction, a decoy team comprising a Naib Mamlatdar and two staff members visited multiple locations, including Santrampur, Purakdana, and Balasinor, to purchase stamp papers anonymously.
During the operation, two operators-Mohammad Rajim Abdulrashid Sheikh in Balasinor and Alpeshkumar Muljibhai Patel in Vadgam village within the Khanpur subdivision-were caught demanding an extra Rs 10 per stamp. According to district authorities, both individuals were unlawfully pocketing the additional amount from unsuspecting citizens.
Subsequent physical audits of both establishments uncovered severe administrative irregularities and inventory discrepancies. At the Balasinor centre, while digital logs indicated an inventory of 142 stamps, the physical count yielded only 140. Furthermore, mandatory Form-3 documentation was missing, maintenance registers were non-existent, and no contact records of buyers had been maintained. At the Vadgam outlet, officials discovered a shortfall of 13 stamps, with physical stock standing at 53 against an online record of 66, for which the operator failed to provide a valid explanation.
Legal proceedings have been launched against both vendors under Rule 37 of the Gujarat Stamp (Payment of Stamp Duty by Means of E-Stamping) Rules, 2014. With 59 operational e-stamping centres across Mahisagar, Makwana affirmed that surprise checks and covert operations will continue to ensure strict adherence to official pricing and regulatory standards.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/posing-as-buyers-gujarat-officials-bust-vendors-charging-extra-for-e-stamps-12284525#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-11-04 23:28:00
