Police in Faridkot have registered an FIR against four individuals accused of using counterfeit documents to secure bail for criminals. The move follows a detailed investigation initiated after a formal complaint was lodged with the Punjab and Haryana High Court.The investigation was triggered by Gurmeet Kaur, a vigilant resident of Kotkapura, who approached the High Court alleging that a syndicate was operating within the local legal ecosystem to manipulate the bail process. Recognising the gravity of the claims, the High Court directed the District Court to conduct a thorough probe.The internal inquiry revealed that the accused — Bhupinder Singh, Beant Singh, Tarsem Singh and Nand Lal — had systematically forged identity papers and property documents to act as sureties for several criminals. By presenting these “ghost” sureties, the suspects successfully misled the judicial system, allowing individuals with serious criminal backgrounds to walk free on bail.Following the District Court’s report confirming the fraud, local police have booked the four under relevant sections of the law for forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy. A few days earlier, four such individuals had also been booked for forging documents to furnish sureties for criminals to secure their release on bail.The incident highlights a critical vulnerability in the bail process, particularly in the verification of sureties. The use of forged documents not only undermines the rule of law but also poses a direct threat to public safety by allowing potentially dangerous offenders to evade custody through fraudulent means. Investigations are ongoing to determine whether any other intermediaries or administrative staff were involved in facilitating these forged submissions.