Kolkata: Five persons have been arrested by the Kolkata police for allegedly running a fake passport racket and selling the forged documents for around ₹2 to 5 lakh each, an officer said on Thursday.
The syndicate has illegally issued at least 73 fake Indian passports to infiltrators, particularly Bangladeshi citizens, using fake documents.
Police on Wednesday arrested the fifth suspect, Dipankar Biswas, in Parnasree, Kolkata.
The other four suspects include Samaresh Biswas and his son Ripon from Barasat in North 24 Parganas, and two postal department contractual employees, Taraknath Sen and Dipak Mondal.
“The father-son duo is believed to be the kingpins of the racket. Mondal is a contractual employee at the Dhakuria post office, while Sen is a data entry operator at the Basirhat post office in North 24 Parganas,” said a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The syndicate primarily procured illegal passports for Bangladeshi citizens, helping them stay in India and travel abroad, said the officer.
The investigation began after officials from the regional passport office discovered fake documents during a verification process. A special investigation team was formed.
{{/usCountry}}The investigation began after officials from the regional passport office discovered fake documents during a verification process. A special investigation team was formed.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: Delhi Police arrested 42 people running fake passport rackets in 2024
All five arrested individuals have been remanded to police custody after being produced in court.
Police suspect that illegal immigrants had their fake passports made, after which they left the country. The ministry of external affairs has been alerted.
“Further investigations are ongoing, and more individuals may be involved in the racket,” said the officer.