CBI Alleges Collusive Corruption Among Mumbai Passport Officials and Agents; 12 Cases Against 32 Accused
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Mumbai, 29th June 2024: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated proceedings against 14 officials, including Passport Assistants and Senior Passport Assistants, stationed at Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in Lower Parel and Malad. Additionally, eighteen passport facilitation agents and touts have been booked in a corruption scandal allegedly involving the Regional Passport Office (RPO) Mumbai, under the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
The accusations state that officials at PSK Lower Parel and PSK Malad collaborated with passport facilitation agents to exploit loopholes in the passport issuance process. This collaboration allegedly involved accepting bribes in exchange for expediting passport issuance or manipulating applicant information to facilitate unauthorized passport approvals.
On June 26, 2024, Joint Surprise Checks (JSC) were conducted at PSK Parel and PSK Malad by CBI, alongside Vigilance Officers from the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs and officers from RPO Mumbai. During these checks, the desks and mobile phones of the suspect officers were scrutinized, revealing suspicious transactions and communications via social media and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) IDs.
According to CBI findings, several officials were found to have received substantial monetary benefits directly into their personal bank accounts or those of their relatives from passport facilitation agents. These transactions reportedly amounted to several lakhs of rupees.
In response, CBI conducted searches at 33 locations across Mumbai and Nashik associated with the accused public servants and private individuals. The searches yielded significant incriminating evidence, including digital records related to passport documents.
The investigation remains ongoing as CBI continues to gather evidence and interrogate those involved in the alleged corruption ring.
