Bundles of Aadhaar cards found on the banks of the Netravati river

Netravati River: On March 3, 2026, a large number of undelivered Aadhaar cards were discovered scattered along the banks of the Netravati River at Farangipete, located in the Pudu village area near Mangaluru.

The discovery has sparked outrage among local residents, many of whom have been forced to pay private cyber centers to print copies of their cards because the originals never arrived in the mail.

Local residents first noticed piles of cards floating in the water and washed up on the riverbank on Tuesday evening. Near the 10th milestone at Farangipete, within the Mangaluru Assembly constituency.

The cards bore the names and addresses of residents from Pudu village. Villagers who sifted through the piles were shocked to find their own names and those of their neighbors on the discarded documents.

Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader (who represents the Mangaluru constituency) has officially written to the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) Project Manager in Bengaluru, demanding a high-level probe.

Residents have accused the postal department of gross negligence. It is suspected that instead of delivering the bundles to the respective households, someone responsible for the distribution dumped them into the river to avoid the work.

Lack of Accountability: Pudu Gram Panchayat President Ramlan Maripalla noted that citizens often struggle to receive official documents through the post, leading to a “mafia” where people are forced to spend money at private centers for digital downloads.

Data Privacy Breach: Beyond the failure to deliver, the disposal of thousands of cards with sensitive personal information in a public waterway is being treated as a major security and privacy violation.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada and the local Tahsildar conducted a spot mahazar (official inspection and inventory) on March 4. The government has promised strict legal action against those responsible once the investigation determines whether the cards were discarded by a postal employee or a third-party agency.

Residents of the area are being advised to check their Aadhaar status online and report any identity concerns to the local police station as the investigation continues.

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