Jaswinder Singh, head constable in the Moga police and one of the key suspects facing trial in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in the 2008 passport scam here, has been arrested.
The man from Harindara Nagar in Faridkot carries a serious charge of running a network that helped many people fly abroad on fake passports. In the case he is arrested, he is charged with getting a fake identity of Gurdeep Singh Brar, deceased son of Mohinder Singh Brar of Malla village in the Bajakhana police jurisdiction of Faridkot district.
Superintendent of police (detective) Dilbag Singh Pannu led the team that arrested Jaswinder Singh. "The man had tampered with the identity card of a dead Gurdeep Singh to get a new passport," the SP told the media here on Saturday. "Head constable Gurmukh Singh of Faridkot, in charge of the passport branch, and sub inspector Gurmeet Singh deployed at Police Lines in Faridkot helped him in this."
Agent Manjeet Singh of Golden Travels at Baghapurna, whose role in the scam was to get verification done, also supported Jaswinder, SP Dilbag Singh Pannu has said. "Jaswinder Singh made a deal with sub inspector Gurmeet Singh, and paid him Rs 20,000, of which head constable Gurmukh Singh took half," said Pannu. "On May 6, 2012, the Faridkot police lodged a case against them."
Jaswinder Singh and Gurmukh Singh are under arrest and, a hunt is on for Gurmeet Singh and Manjeet Singh. The police have also seized the passport-branch record from Faridkot.
Agent Manjeet Singh of Golden Travels at Baghapurna, whose role in the scam was to get verification done, also supported Jaswinder, SP Dilbag Singh Pannu has said. "Jaswinder Singh made a deal with sub inspector Gurmeet Singh, and paid him Rs 20,000, of which head constable Gurmukh Singh took half," said Pannu. "On May 6, 2012, the Faridkot police lodged a case against them."
Jaswinder Singh and Gurmukh Singh are under arrest and, a hunt is on for Gurmeet Singh and Manjeet Singh. The police have also seized the passport-branch record from Faridkot.
"Jaswinder Singh was a kingpin in the Moga passport racket. Earlier, he received a suspension order, but now he was serving at Police Lines," said superintendent of police Pannu. "SI Gurmeet Singh was his neighbour in Faridkot, and he is the man he contacted to get a fake passport made for Rs 20,000."
The police claim to have recovered many incriminating documents, blank passport forms, stamps, and certificates from the Baghpurana travel agent. They say that Jaswinder Singh planned to flee to the US.