The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday busted a fake passport racket, which was operational in West Bengal and the neighbouring Sikkim, officials said.
Two persons, including a senior superintendent of Passport Seva Laghu Kendra (PSLK) at Gangtok, were arrested from Siliguri in north Bengal.
“A major racket was busted by the CBI. Raids were conducted in around 50 locations. Two persons have been arrested,” said a senior CBI official.
In an official release on Saturday, CBI said a case was registered against 24 accused people, including Deputy Passport Officer (DPO), Kolkata; senior superintendent, PSLK, Gangtok, other public servants and private persons.
Allegations had surfaced that a section of officers at the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Kolkata and the Passport Seva Laghu Kendra at Gangtok were involved in a racket in which passports were being issued on the basis of forged documents against money.
“The forged documents were being submitted by middlemen on behalf of persons who were not Indian residents. A case was registered against 24 persons, including the deputy passport officer of Kolkata and the senior superintendent of Passport Seva Laghu Kendra at Gangtok among others,” added the senior CBI official.
On Saturday, raids were conducted at several places in Kolkata, Gangtok, Siliguri, Darjeeling and Alipurduar.
{{/usCountry}}On Saturday, raids were conducted at several places in Kolkata, Gangtok, Siliguri, Darjeeling and Alipurduar.
{{/usCountry}}The agency officials said they arrested two persons – Goutam Kumar Saha, senior superintendent of PSLK in Gangtok, and Dipu Chetri, an agent.
“Saha was arrested red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs.1.9 lakh. During the search, Rs.3.08 lakh was also recovered from Saha,” the official said.