CBI registers 12 cases against 32 passport officials for indulging in collusive corruption

The CBI registered 12 cases against 14 officials including Passport Assistants or Senior Passport Assistants posted at Passport Sewa Kendras (PSKs) of Lower Parel and Malad, and 18 passport facilitation agents or touts on allegations that officials posted at PSK, Lower Parel, Mumbai and PSK Malad, Mumbai working under Regional Passport Office (RPO) Mumbai, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) who were indulging in collusive corruption with agents or touts.

It was alleged that these officers were in regular contact with passport facilitation agents and conspiring with them to obtain undue advantage in lieu of issuance of passport based on inadequate or incomplete documents or by manipulating the personal particulars of passport applicants.

On June 26, Joint Surprise Checks (JSC) were conducted at PSK, Parel and PSK, Malad along with the Vigilance Officers of the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Division, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and officers of RPO Mumbai.

During Joint Surprise Check (JSC), the office desks and mobile phones of the suspect officers were analyzed jointly by CBI team and Vigilance Officers of PSP, Division, MEA. The analysis of documents, social media chats and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ID activities of suspect public servants revealed various suspicious transactions by some officials of PSKs indicating demand and acceptance of undue advantage through the passport facilitation agents for issuance of passports as well as to get passports issued based on inadequate/fake/forged documents.

The suspect officers of PSKs, in connivance with various passport facilitation agents or touts, were allegedly receiving huge monetary undue advantages directly in their own bank accounts or in the bank accounts of their near and dear or family members from the passport facilitation agents or touts to the tune of several lakhs of rupees.

The CBI conducted searches at about 33 locations of accused public servants and accused private persons situated at Mumbai and Nashik. This led to the recovery of several incriminating documents or digital evidence pertaining to passport documents. The investigation is ongoing. (ANI)