"These people have also been blacklisted after which they will not be able to perform the Haj in future," Minority Welfare and Haj minister Mohammad Azam Khan told reporters here.
The forgery was detected during an inquiry which was conducted in coordination with the Central Haj Committee, he said.
"FIRs have been lodged against 170 people who got their names included in the list of Haj pilgrims," the minister said.
Of the 170 people, 152 were those whose names were in the waiting list and 18 were those who had even not applied for Haj, he said.
These persons had committed forgery to get their names included in the list of Haj pilgrims, Khan said.
"The list of such persons who have committed forgery can increase. Several agencies in Mumbai and Delhi are involved in it," the minister said.
Such a fraud could not take place without involvement of the employees of the state Haj Committee, he said.
To a question regarding alleged anomalies in Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission during the previous BSP rule, Khan said if needed the state could recommend a CBI probe into this.
