Passport Seva Kendra corruption: CBI raids Mumbai passport agent’s premises, seizes Rs 1.5 crore

Busting a deep-rooted nexus between touts and Regional Passport Office (RPO) officials, the CBI recently registered a dozen cases against 32 people, including 14 officials of passport offices.

The CBI conducted raids based on information that some officers were receiving the bribe directly in their own bank accounts or in the bank accounts of their family members from the passport facilitation agents.

The CBI also learned that some officers of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) were also in touch with passport facilitation agents, who were involved in making fake passports by compromising with the national security of the country.

The premier investigation agency on June 29 conducted searches at 35 locations in Mumbai and Nashik, recovering several incriminating documents, digital evidence pertaining to passport documents, etc. revealing a deep nexus between touts and the RPO officials.

The 14 RPO officials who were booked, include passport assistants or senior passport assistants, posted at Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) of Lower Parel and Malad.

According to the CBI, the accused officials posted at Lower Parel and Malad PSKs in Mumbai were indulging in collusive corruption with agents or touts.

The entire racket was exposed after CBI received reliable information indicating that some granting officers and verifying senior officers posted at Passport Seva Kendra, Lower Parel, are indulging in collusive corruption.

The accused officers were in regular contact with passport facilitation agents and conspired with them to obtain undue advantage in lieu of issuance of passport based on fake/forged documents or changing the personal particular of applicants in their passport, the CBI said.

The CBI on June 26 conducted joint surprise checks at PSK, Lower Parel and PSK, Malad along with the Vigilance Officers of the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Division and officers of RPO Mumbai.

CBI sources also hinted that more senior RPO officers are under scanner.