There has been a lot of talk in the Capital that the 32-year-old cabbie Shiv Kumar Yadav, who had allegedly raped an executive on Friday night, would not have been behind the wheels of the Uber cab, had the US-based company run a background check and got police verification done, as he had earlier been jailed in a rape case.

However, it has turned out that the  driver had forged a character certificate, which stated that he had no police record. The certificate bore the seal of the Additional Deputy Commissioner of South-East district and was attested by a notary. The certificate was reportedly submitted to the police when Uber officials were served summons by the Delhi Police to join the investigations.

However, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi on Monday evening said that as per the preliminary investigations the certificate was found to be fake, as the officer concerned was not posted in the district during that time. Signature of the official on the character certificate purportedly issued by the Additional DCP South East appears to have been scanned. “A criminal enquiry against the accused under Sections of cheating and forgery will also be initiated,” said Bassi.

“A case of cheating and forgery has been registered and the investigation has been taken up. DCP South East district Mandeep Singh Randhawa has been asked to carry out a probe and submit the report,” said a senior police officer. The case throws light on how easy it is to forge a certificate and use the logo and the letterhead of the Delhi Police. It also reveals how people at the notary office do not verify documents and simply attested it.

Senior police officials revealed that Yadav was arrested and was in Tihar Jail for around seven months. later he was acquitted by the court as a compromise was made between him and the victim and also due to lack of evidence. Even though he was acquitted, his records are in the Crime Record Office (CRO) of the police headquarters. He could be been given a clean chit if the employers had written to the district police to verify his antecedents. Records of the office of the DCP, South East district have no mention of any such certificate being issued to the accused driver, said a police officer.