CBI Cracks Down on Corruption with Arrests in Fake Passport Racket

The Central Bureau of Investigation has made significant progress in dismantling a corruption ring involving the issuance of passports based on forged documents. On Thursday, the CBI arrested two individuals, including Akshay Kumar Meena, a Junior Passport Assistant at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in Lower Parel, Mumbai, and an agent named Bhavesh Shantilal Shah.

According to the First Information Report, the accused public servant conspired with private agents to extract undue advantage for facilitating passport-related tasks between 2023 and 2024. Involved in the conspiracy with these agents and other unidentified individuals, the accused manipulated the process to enable fake passport issuance to unknown applicants using fraudulent papers, such as falsified Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and other identity verifications.

Investigations revealed bribery communication through chats and discovered discrepancies such as inactive contact numbers provided by applicants. Fingerprints of deceit were further evident as police verification for 'Tatkaal Scheme' passports returned adverse results, indicating that the listed addresses were fabricated. Both individuals have been remanded to custody by the Special CBI Court in Mumbai.

(With inputs from agencies.)