CBI seeks permission to probe two senior officials in passport bribery case

The two senior officials, who are civil servants of the Group ‘A’ and ‘B’, came under the scanner of the agency after it found them allegedly figuring in a few transactions related to some of the 32 accused persons in the case

MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought prior permission from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to initiate a probe against two senior officials, including an Assistant Passport Officer, as part of its ongoing bribery investigation allegedly involving several senior passport assistants, passport assistants, and private passport facilitation agents.

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One of the officials is scheduled to retire by June-end. Once the CBI secures the prior permission from the MEA, the agency is likely to register two fresh cases, to examine the suspected roles of the two officials, as part of the investigation into irregularities, sources familiar with the investigation said.

The sources also revealed that one of the two officials under the CBI scanner is a woman. The agency had last week conducted searches at the premises of the two senior officials, apart from 31 other premises connected with the 32 accused in the case, which include 14 passport assistants and senior assistants at the Passport Sewa Kendra (PSK) in Lower Parel and Malad, and 18 passport agents, the sources said.

The two senior officials, who are civil servants of the Group ‘A’ and ‘B’, came under the scanner of the agency after it found them allegedly figuring in a few transactions related to some of the 32 accused persons in the case, with one of them suspected of being connected to transactions worth around 50 lakhs, the sources said.

The CBI sought the prior permission to probe the two officials as per section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act (as amended in 2018), according to which no enquiry or inquiry or investigation shall be conducted by a police officer into any offence alleged to have been committed by a public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act without prior approval from appropriate authority.

The agency, on Friday, registered 12 corruption cases against the 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 included joint checks with vigilance officials of the Passport Seva Program Division and the Regional Passport Office Mumbai. The checks involved analysing documents, social media chats, and UPI transactions, revealing suspicious activities and undue advantages taken by the officials.

The CBI began its crackdown last week based on reliable sources’ information alleging that certain “granting officers and verifying officers” posted at the PSK at Lower Parel were involved in collusive corruption with several passport agents.

The agency seized ₹1.59 crore in cash from a private passport facilitation agent’s premises during the searches conducted on Sunday and Monday as part of the bribery investigation. The agent is suspected of colluding with passport officials to facilitate the irregular issuance of passports in exchange for monetary benefits. The agency is scrutinising potential case-related information in the five diaries that contain transaction entries of 2023 and 2024, and digital evidence recovered from the agent’s house for further action, the sources said.

The CBI had last week conducted searches at 33 locations in Mumbai and Nashik, recovering incriminating documents and digital evidence. Cases were registered to investigate alleged irregularities during 2023-24 under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.