Bhopal, Sep 14 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has widened its probe into a suspected fake passport racket, with more than 70 passports under scrutiny and four persons arrested so far.
The investigation has spread to Bhopal, Gwalior, Betul, Chhindwara and Pandhurna, where investigators are examining passport applications, addresses and documents allegedly used to obtain the travel documents.
STF Deputy Inspector General Rahul Lodha on Monday told IANS that the agency was also examining a passport of an accused arrested in Nagpur, which was found to have been issued in Gujarat.
“So far, a total of 70 passports are under investigation in connection with the fake passport case. We have also included another passport of an accused arrested from Nagpur, which was found to have been issued in Gujarat. The investigation is still underway,” Lodha said.
The four arrested accused are from the Northeast, including Assam, and their identities and other details are being verified, he said.
The investigation has revealed that several passport applications were allegedly made using the same or suspicious addresses, raising the possibility of an organised network.
“In Madhya Pradesh, fake passports have been issued from four to five districts. In Gwalior, 17 passports were fraudulently applied for from the same location in Semariya Tal area of Dabra. In Bhopal, 40 passports were issued using an address in Anna Nagar,” Lodha said.
The STF is examining the Bhopal cases in which 40 passports were allegedly issued using the address of a math in Anna Nagar under the Govindpura police station area. Investigators are verifying the documents and addresses submitted with the applications to establish how the passports were obtained and whether local facilitators or agents were involved.
The STF is also examining the suspected inter-state links of the network and checking whether the passports under scrutiny are connected.
The officer also shared that further action, including arrests, would follow if the ongoing investigation establishes the involvement of more persons or uncovers additional fraudulent passport applications.
The probe is being extended to other locations to determine the full extent of the suspected racket, he added.
–IANS
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