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Bangladeshi infiltration threat: CP orders passport staff to physically visit applicants’ home for verification
Pune police have been directed to personally visit homes for passport verification following the arrest of six Bangladeshi nationals in Mumbai for allegedly procuring Indian passports from Pune. An investigation revealed that ten Bangladeshi nationals had obtained passports using forged residential addresses from Pune. The police commissioner has instructed officials to visit homes for address verification and to inquire with at least two to three people from the area about the applicant. Currently, police stations mostly verify documents without visiting homes.
Pune: Following the arrest of six Bangladeshi nationals by the Mumbai police for allegedly procuring Indian passport from Pune, Pune Police Commissioner Retesh Kumaarr last week directed police stations across the city, especially officials incharge of the passport cells, to personally visit homes for passport verification.
The action come after an investigation by the Mumbai police revealed ten Bangladeshi nationals had obtained passport by furnishing forged residential address from Pune. Kumaarr has instructed passport cell officials to visit homes for address verification and inquire with at least two to three persons from the area about the applicant. Currently, police stations call applicants with documents and verify them without mostly visiting homes.
Sambhaji Kadam, deputy commissioner of police (special branch), directed staff for strict verification of passport related documents and safeguards to be adopted for stricter verification at a workshop organised for all city police passport officials in December.
The probe by Mumbai police based on a first information report (FIR) filed on October 28 revealed that the foreign nationals had obtained passports from the jurisdiction of Wanowrie and Yerawada police stations in Pune. Five policemen attached to the Pune police are facing a probe for giving a verification report without visiting the place of residence furnished by the Bangladeshi applicants.
Kumaarr in a written official communication to all police stations on Wednesday said, “Passport cell staff must visit the applicant’s residence for address verification and inquire for background information from neighbours.”
The police chief stated that it shows that some organised gangs in Pune are behind providing passports to Bangladeshi and other foreign nationals based by preparing forged documents and necessary instructions for strict action against them has been conveyed to all police stations.
“The passport head concerned of the police station must prepare a daily list of verifications done and get the signature of police station incharge,” he stated.
The passport cell must strictly verify the authenticity of the documents like Aadhaar Card, birth certificate and others documents required as directed by the Maharashtra State Director General’s office. If the passport branch finds some documents to be suspicious then they must alert the officials of the Anti-Terrorist Cell (ATC) for further assistance. The police commissioner has urged the police station officials to use tablets and other gadgets specified by the passport department for quicker delivery of services to the applicants.
Kumaarr in his instructions has pointed out that six Bangladeshi nationals had obtained passports under the jurisdiction of Hadapsar Police Station while four of them had obtained passports using the same modus operandi by submitting bogus documents under Wanowrie police station.
The Anti-Terrorist Cell (ATC) of Mumbai Police arrested 20 Bangladeshi migrants and two citizens in connection with the racket of issuing passports, Aadhaar cards, Pan cards and other documents to Bangladeshi infiltrators.
