Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered 12 cases against 32 accused individuals, including Passport Assistants and Senior Passport Assistants from Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and passport facilitation agents/touts, on allegations of collusive corruption. The cases involve 14 officials from PSKs in Lower Parel and Malad, Mumbai, and 18 agents/touts.
These officials, working under the Regional Passport Office (RPO) Mumbai, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), are accused of colluding with agents to secure undue advantages by issuing passports based on incomplete or manipulated documents.
On June 26, 2024, Joint Surprise Checks (JSC) were conducted at PSKs in Parel and Malad. The checks involved the CBI, Vigilance Officers from the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Division of the MEA, and officers from RPO Mumbai. During these checks, the office desks and mobile phones of the suspect officers were analyzed, revealing various suspicious transactions.
The analysis uncovered documents, social media chats, and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ID activities indicating the demand and acceptance of bribes for issuing passports based on inadequate or forged documents. The suspect officers, in collusion with agents, allegedly received large sums of money directly into their own bank accounts or the accounts of family members.
CBI conducted searches at 33 locations in Mumbai and Nashik, leading to the recovery of incriminating documents and digital evidence related to passport fraud.
The investigation is ongoing.
