MUMBAI, June 14 -- After encountering a major scam related to fake inheritance, residence and income certificates, the state government has lodged criminal cases against two revenue officers. It has also ordered the team of officers that investigated the fraud to look out for more such cases in the department. The scam was unearthed after the four-member revenue department team found that at least 221 inheritance, residence and income certificates were issued fraudulently through the government's digital platforms Aaple Sarkar and Setu centres through the alleged misuse of a junior female officer's digital signature. After this came to light, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule ordered a police investigation. An FIR has now been lodged by the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Marg police station against deputy collector Ganesh Sangale and revenue assistant Nagnath Lolewar. The duo has been booked under Sections 319(2), 335 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as Sections 66(C), 66(D) and 74 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 relating to forgery, identity theft, cheating and misuse of digital signatures. Bawankule has also ordered the four-member revenue department investigation team to continue with its probe, as the scope of the fraud is expected to be wider and spread across other government offices as well. Tehsildar Sandeep Awari of Mumbai City's F-South and F-North divisions went on leave on May 8, 2026, and additional charge was assigned to tehsildar Sanket Yamgar. During this period, deputy collector Sangale allegedly instructed naib tehsildar Dipali Kulkarni to create a digital signature certificate. After obtaining it, Sangale allegedly used it without her consent and, in collusion with Lolewar, issued hundreds of certificates in the two divisions. A total of 2,039 certificates were issued between May 8 and June 5. Of these, 1,023 certificates have been scrutinised so far, and 221 of these found to be bogus....