The Gurugram Municipal Corporation (MCG) has terminated two contractual assistant sanitary inspectors following separate internal investigations into digital fraud. One employee was found to have used artificial intelligence (AI) tools to manipulate photographs, while the other employed GPS spoofing software to falsely record attendance.
AI-Edited Photo to Fake Cleanup
Assistant sanitary inspector Waseem was tasked with clearing a significant mound of garbage on temple land near Kherki Daula village. Instead of carrying out the cleanup, Waseem allegedly used AI-based editing tools to alter original site photographs. He then uploaded these fabricated images to the official grievance portal on April 7, presenting a misleading picture of a clean, uniformly paved area.
The MCG's internal order stated that Waseem “deliberately uploaded AI-manipulated photographs on the grievance portal to falsely show that the complaint had been resolved, whereas the complaint remained unattended.” During a personal hearing on July 1, Waseem reportedly admitted to the forgery.
GPS Spoofing for Attendance Fraud
In a separate inquiry, assistant sanitary inspector Sonu was found to be absent from his designated duty location during a field inspection on April 9. Despite his absence, he was recorded as present on the MCG’s sanitation monitoring system portal. When confronted, Sonu admitted he was at home.
The investigation uncovered that Sonu had used unauthorized third-party applications, including 'Fly GPS,' to spoof his location and fraudulently mark his attendance. The termination order highlighted that Sonu “intentionally created a false digital attendance record to mislead… authorities despite not discharging his official duties.” Sonu also confessed to using the spoofing application during his hearing.
Consequences of Misconduct
MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya’s termination orders cited “grave misconduct, fraud, dishonesty,” and behavior unbecoming of public servants. Both employees, who were contractual staff deployed through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited (HKRNL), were relieved of their duties with immediate effect on July 1. Copies of the termination orders have been forwarded to the CEO of HKRNL, requesting the formal termination of their deployment.