Retired Police Officer Detained in Bengal for Involvement in Passport Forgery Scheme

Kolkata, Jan 4 (NationPress) A retired police officer has been detained due to his suspected involvement in a passport forgery scheme in West Bengal.

The officer, identified as Abdul Hai (61), had retired just a year ago from his position as a Sub-Inspector.

According to sources from the state police, during the latter part of his career, he was primarily responsible for the “police verification” of new passport applicants.

His arrest took place at his home in Habra, located under the Ashoknagar Police Station in the North 24 Parganas district. This marks the total arrests in this case to nine.

The former officer is set to be presented before a lower court in Kolkata on Saturday, where the public prosecutor will request his police custody for further questioning.

Recently, both the West Bengal and Kolkata Police have initiated investigations into their own ranks due to negligent “police verification” processes that have led to the issuance of fake Indian passports to Bangladeshi infiltrators.

The investigation commenced following a directive from a city court instructing officials to examine their colleagues in the relevant police stations.

The main accusations against certain officers responsible for “police verification” of new passport applicants include failing to conduct physical visits to the residences of some applicants prior to submitting the clearance reports.

Since December 15, 2024, nine individuals have been arrested for their involvement in rackets that facilitate the acquisition of fake Indian identity documents, including Indian passports, for illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators.

Additionally, several Public Distribution System (PDS) dealers are also under investigation for aiding in the issuance of fake ration cards for these illegal infiltrators.