The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday raided a minimum of eight places throughout West Bengal, together with Kolkata, in reference to the alleged faux passport racket which the Kolkata Police busted late final 12 months.
Representational picture.
Officers conscious of the event mentioned the federal company carried out search operations in Beck Bagan in Kolkata, Birati in North 24 Parganas and Gede in Nadia, amongst different locations.
In December 2024, the Kolkata Police busted a racket that issued faux passports utilizing solid paperwork. Not less than 10 individuals had been arrested between December 2024 and January 2025.
“A case was registered in September 2024 by the Bhowanipore police station after the Security Control Office (SCO) flagged multiple cases in which passports were issued using forged documents. The case first came to light during an audit of the Regional Passport Office in Kolkata,” an officer mentioned.
Earlier this 12 months, the Kolkata Police filed a cost sheet in opposition to 130 individuals. Whereas 10 had been arrested, the remaining had been on the run. Many had been allegedly Bangladeshi nationals, and the police issued lookout notices in opposition to 69 accused individuals.
Amongst these arrested was a retired cop, a regulation clerk, momentary staff of the postal division amongst others.
The ED collected paperwork from the Kolkata Police earlier this 12 months and registered a case, the officers mentioned.
Subsequently, the West Bengal Police wrote to the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) to strengthen the passport verification and supply system.
“Police have very little role to play in the verification process. We have written to the the MEA and we are actively pursuing it as this needs to be changed. We have suggested a new system, in which not only the District Intelligence Branch (DIB) but also the local police station and senior officers will play a bigger role,” Rajeev Kumar, director common of West Bengal Police, informed media individuals on 29 December 2024.
Investigations by the police revealed that faux paperwork had been used to organize Indian passports, which had been bought anyplace between ₹2 lakh and ₹5 lakh to principally Bangladeshis. The racket has delivered greater than 70 such Indian passports, officers mentioned.