CBI books senior officials in passport bribery case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked two senior officials, including a deputy passport officer and a superintendent/granting officer, as part of its ongoing bribery investigation involving several senior passport assistants, passport assistants, and private passport facilitation agents

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked two senior officials, including a deputy passport officer and a superintendent/granting officer, as part of its ongoing bribery investigation involving several senior passport assistants, passport assistants, and private passport facilitation agents. The CBI obtained prior permission from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to initiate the probe.

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The CBI registered two cases, bringing the total number of FIRs in the probe to 14, according to CBI sources. The new FIRs named PP Wankhedkar, deputy passport officer at Passport Sewa Kendra (PSK), Malad, and U Devadhiya, superintendent/granting officer at PSK, Lower Parel, along with three private agents - S Sheikh, M Desai, and S Muzamil- and unidentified public servants/private individuals. Wankhedkar is a ‘Group A’ civil servant, while Devadiya is a ‘Group B’ civil servant.

The CBI’s request for permission to investigate the two officers, as per section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), was reported by HT on Wednesday. This section requires prior approval from the appropriate authority before any inquiry or investigation into offences committed by public servants under the Act.

The two cases were registered on Friday to investigate alleged irregularities from October 2020 to June 2024, agency sources said. The cases involve offences related to criminal conspiracy, bribing public servants, taking undue advantage to influence public servants by corrupt or illegal means, paying bribes to public servants, obtaining undue advantage without consideration by public servants, and abetment under sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

“After receiving permission under section 17-A of the PC Act, 1988, against a Group A officer and a Group B officer posted at PSKs Malad and Lower Parel, the CBI has registered two separate FIRs against the two officials and touts. The accused public servants are PP Wankhedkar, deputy passport officer, and U Devadhiya, superintendent/granting officer,” a CBI source said on Sunday.

The agency conducted searches at 33 premises connected to the accused in Mumbai and Nashik, including 14 passport assistants and senior assistants at the Passport Sewa Kendra in Lower Parel and Malad, and 18 passport agents, sources said. In June, the CBI registered 12 corruption cases against 32 accused persons. The investigation revealed that officials conspired with agents to issue passports based on incomplete or falsified documents.

The investigation was initiated based on reliable information and joint checks with vigilance officials of the Passport Seva Program Division and the Regional Passport Office Mumbai. The CBI began its crackdown based on reliable source information alleging that certain “granting officers and verifying officers” at the PSK in Lower Parel were involved in collusive corruption with several passport agents.