A serious fraud case has surfaced in the Bhojpur police station area of Ghaziabad, where 24 passports were issued using fake documents. All the applications used the same address and mobile number.
Based
on a letter from the Regional Passport Office, Delhi, an FIR numbered 0023/2026 was registered at Bhojpur police station. The case has been filed under Sections 61(2), 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2) of the Indian Penal Code 2023 and Section 66 of the IT Act. Police have started an investigation.
Addresses found to be fake
Police found that 24 passport applicants, including Amanpreet Kaur, Jaspreet Kaur, Ritu Sharma and Meghna Rana, had shown addresses in Bhojpur, Tyodi, Saidpur Hussainpur and nearby villages. However, they were not residents of those villages.
Village heads gave written statements confirming that the individuals did not live there. Police also found that the residence documents submitted with the applications were forged as part of a planned conspiracy.
Postman’s role comes to light
During the probe, Arun Kumar, a postman posted at Bhojpur Post Office, made a key revelation. He told police that around five months ago, two men named Vivek Gandhi and Prakash Subba asked him to hand over passports directly to them instead of delivering them to the addresses.
He was offered Rs 2,000 for each passport and admitted that he accepted the money.
Manipulation of passport verification
According to police, passport verification is done through an online system and reports are submitted digitally. It is alleged that the accused, in collusion with the postman, applicants and others, manipulated the verification process.
Using forged documents, they managed to secure positive verification reports, leading to the issuance of passports in at least 22 cases.
26 people named in FIR
A total of 26 named individuals, along with several unknown persons, have been accused. Police said they are investigating the entire network, including those who prepared the fake documents, intermediaries and those involved in the government process.
Arrests and further legal action will follow after the investigation.
Possible national security risk
Police sources said it cannot be ruled out that these passports could have been used for illegal or harmful activities. There is concern that such documents could be used for crime, illegal travel, identity theft or cybercrime.
Officials said the case shows a serious lapse in the passport verification and postal delivery system and could have posed a major national security risk if not exposed in time.
