Kolkata Police Investigates Four Officers in Bangladeshi Passport Fraud Case

Kolkata, Jan 7 (NationPress) Four police officers are now under scrutiny by the Kolkata Police due to their suspected involvement with networks involved in producing forged Indian identity documents, which includes passports for illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

Sources familiar with the situation revealed that one of the implicated officers is linked to the security control office, while another works at a local police station.

In addition to these officers, a total of nine individuals have been apprehended by the West Bengal Police. The most recent arrest was of Abdul Hai (61), who had retired as a Sub-Inspector just a year prior.

According to insider reports, during his final years of service, he was primarily responsible for conducting "police verifications" for new passport applications. He was taken into custody at his home in Habra, located under the Ashoknagar Police Station in the North 24 Parganas district.

Recently, both the West Bengal and Kolkata Police have initiated investigations into the lax "police verification" methods that led to the distribution of counterfeit Indian passports to Bangladeshi infiltrators.

This investigation was prompted by a recent directive from a city court, which instructed officials to examine their colleagues in the relevant police stations. The primary allegations against a group of officers tasked with "police verification" for new passport applicants are that they failed to conduct physical visits to the residences of certain applicants before submitting their clearance reports.

Since December 15, 2024, nine individuals have been arrested for their roles in networks that provide fake Indian identity documents, including passports, to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Numerous Public Distribution System (PDS) dealers are also being investigated for their assistance in procuring fake ration cards for these infiltrators. The acquisition of fake ration cards serves as the initial step in the entire process of obtaining other fraudulent Indian documents, with passports being the final goal.

Investigators have noticed a consistent pattern in the operations of these networks that facilitate fake Indian passports for illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Any infiltrator unlawfully entering Indian territory contacts local agents and expresses a willingness to pay substantial sums for counterfeit Indian identity documents. They are first provided with safe havens in various villages adjacent to the borders with Bangladesh, both on land and along the coast. Subsequently, agents arrange for fake ration cards, which serve as the first step in creating additional identity documents. With these fake ration cards, other identification documents such as EPIC, PAN, and Aadhaar cards can be obtained. The final phase involves acquiring the counterfeit passports based on these other forged identity documents.