The Kolkata Police has successfully busted a fake passport racket, arresting five individuals involved in the illegal issuance of forged Indian passports. According to a senior police officer, the racket facilitated the creation of at least 73 counterfeit passports, primarily for Bangladeshi citizens, allowing them to infiltrate India and travel abroad.
The arrested suspects include Samaresh Biswas and his son Ripon, both from Barasat in North 24 Parganas, along with two postal department employees, Taraknath Sen and Dipak Mondal. Dipankar Biswas, who was apprehended on Wednesday in Parnasree, Kolkata, is the fifth suspect in the case.
The police believe the father-son duo, Samaresh and Ripon Biswas, are the key operators of the racket. Mondal, a contractual employee at the Dhakuria post office, and Sen, a data entry operator at the Basirhat post office, were also involved in processing the forged documents. The suspects allegedly sold each fake passport for amounts ranging between ₹2 lakh and ₹5 lakh.
The investigation began after authorities at the regional passport office flagged several suspicious documents during a routine verification process. Subsequently, a special investigation team was established to probe the matter further.
The fake passports were reportedly issued to illegal immigrants, primarily from Bangladesh, allowing them to stay in India and potentially travel internationally. Following the arrests, the Ministry of External Affairs has been alerted, and further inquiries are underway.
“All five individuals have been remanded to police custody following their appearance in court. Additional suspects may be involved, and we are continuing our investigation,” the police officer said.
This incident has raised concerns about the vulnerability of the passport issuance system and its exploitation by criminal syndicates, with authorities promising to take stringent actions to prevent similar offenses in the future.
Sources By Agencies
