LUCKNOW: The introduction of biometric attendance system in government offices has made life difficult for many of those who used to visit office any time as per their convenience in 9 to 5 job, especially, in districts where attendance was a mere formality.

As the biometric system has been installed in offices across the state during the last one year, many fail to make it in time. But as they say every problem has a solution so the issue of attendance for late comers has also been resolved by a racket being run by rubber stamp manufacturers who diversified into the business of casting prosthetic thumbs carrying impression of the specific customer.

They are doing a roaring business by selling these 'fake' thumbs at Rs 300 per piece in eastern UP districts like Varanasi, Chandauli and Azamgarh.

These fake thumb manufacturers cater to the clients from across the sectors. From government and private employees who want to get their proxy attendance registered to those who are into the hacking of fingerprint passwords of computers, laptops and smart phones.

Even those who work at Jan Seva Kendra also need these thumbs to be used while preparing ration cards, pension documents and other such credentials, even those buying sim cards and procuring fake wills and property documents use the fake thumbs.

However, the district and police administration officials of Chanduali admitted of being in the knowhow of it and claimed to have set teams to trace these manufacturers. Chandauli SP Santosh Kumar Singh said, -"A team has been constituted to investigate the matter," he added.

In competitive markets like Varanasi, these prosthetic thumbs made of silicon rubber are available for just Rs 60-100 but in smaller districts like Ghazipur, Azamgarh and Chandauli, they cost between Rs 300 and Rs 500.

Varanasi DM Surendra Singh said that possibility of misuse of prosthetic thumbs can't be denied. "However, it is not that easy. Every office has CCTV cameras installed besides the arrival and departure time has to be recorded in a register signed by the employee himself," he stated.

The menace is more rampant than one could imagine. "I get at least one customer seeking to get a fake thumb cast daily on my centre. Majority is from Jan Seva Kendra. Our clients are also employees of government and private sectors,-" said a stamp maker operating in Varanasi.

They said that people seeking prosthetic thumbs for use in biometric attendance is less in Varanasi as compared to smaller towns of neighbouring districts. The shape of stamps are given as per the demand of customer, they said.

Establishing a 'thumb manufacturing' unit demands a low investment of just Rs one lakh. It requires a small space, a computer or laptop, scanner and casting machine. Initially, Varanasi market used to supply the thumbs to neighbouring districts but now the trade has expanded.