Passport office throws scare into bogus agents

MUMBAI, OCT 14: Regional Passport Officer, H H Yakarnall, who took over from V N Hade recently, has instituted an inquiry into a case of ...

MUMBAI, OCT 14: Regional Passport Officer, H H Yakarnall, who took over from V N Hade recently, has instituted an inquiry into a case of forgery and fraud by one of the agents, who had easy access to the office, and had allegedly got passports made in two days’ time.

Sources told Express Newsline that at least five passports had been identified by the RPO for the inquiry. The suspected number of such passports acquired by this agent alone are 200, sources said.

The agent, who operates under the name of Gadiwala Travels, allegedly forged the papers including the receipt that the passport office gives an applicant on receiving his application. Sources reveal that the forgeries have been done with a view to misrepresenting the date of the receipt of the application.

The date is significant because the police verification report is to be received within 30 days of the passport office making a reference to the Special Branch of the police.

It is not, however, known whether any staff of the passportoffice is also under inquiry. Sources said the RPO had, however, started correspondence with the Special Branch-II, of the CID to ascertain whether the police reports attached to the five passports in question were genuine or not. It is suspected that this document was also fabricated.

The passport office has been at the receiving end of unscrupulous agents, who manage to bounce back even after such cases are identified. Another case, which also occurred during the tenure of controversial RPO, V N Hade (of Rakhee fame), was discovered by default.

According to sources, in that case, the application was received for a passport even when the applicant was in the custody of an investigating agency. The papers were processed and the passport was to be handed over when officers of the agency landed up at the passport office. The fraud was discovered and the passport revoked. The athorisation letter of the applicant in that case was allegedly forged. (Passports are issued only to the applicant in personor to an agent carrying an authorisation letter). The agent allegedly involved in this case goes by the name of Keswani.

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Inquiries about him from other sources revealed that “he was in trouble.” But he has not been arrested, nor has any inquiry been instituted into that case.

Sources, however, said Gadiwala was barred entry into the passport office since the inquiry was instituted by Yakarnall.

Yakarnall’s action does seem to have had its effect, though how long it will last cannot be said. Posing as a friend of an applicant who needed a passport within a week for genuine’ reasons, this reporter, along with a friend, made inquiries with some agents. Most of them said, “It cannot be done any longer. Bahut lafda ho gaya hai. (There’s been trouble lately).” Yet others asked us to arrange for a bank account with the name of the applicant showing that he resided in Mumbai since the last two years. One agent who promised us a passport in 10 to 15 days would have charged Rs 8,000. Yakarnallrefused to speak to Express Newsline.