Posing as Buyers, Gujarat Officials Bust Vendors Charging Extra for E-Stamps

Two e-stamp vendors in Gujarat's Mahisagar district charged Rs 110 for a Rs 100 stamp. The customers were officials posing as ordinary citizens.

Deputy Collector HT Makwana, known for undercover checks and sting operations that expose administrative lapses, has once again drawn attention for his strict working style. His latest action targeted overcharging at e-stamping centres.

To check how openly e-stamps were being distributed, Makwana sent a team of a Naib Mamlatdar and two staff members to buy Rs 100 e-stamps as regular citizens. They visited areas including Santrampur, Purakdana and Balasinor.

The checks found that Mohammad Rajim Abdulrashid Sheikh in Balasinor and Alpeshkumar Muljibhai Patel in Vadgam village of Khanpur subdivision were charging Rs 110 for a Rs 100 e-stamp. Both were illegally pocketing an extra Rs 10 per stamp, according to the district administration.

Officials then audited both centres in person and found serious gaps in the records. At Balasinor, online logs showed 142 stamps, but the physical count was 140. Form-3 documentation was missing, registers were not being kept, and there were no records of buyers' contact details.

At the Vadgam centre in Khanpur, the physical stock was 53 stamps against an online count of 66, a shortfall of 13. The operators could not give a satisfactory explanation.

Action has been started against both operators under Rule 37 of the Gujarat Stamp (Payment of Stamp Duty by Means of E-Stamping) Rules, 2014.

Mahisagar has 59 working e-stamping centres. Makwana said surprise inspections and sting operations will continue across the district to make sure the fixed prices and official rules are followed.