The immigration section of the airport has been overhauled to plug loopholes. A Telegraph picture

The immigration department in Calcutta airport has undergone an overhaul with the installation of a number of sophisticated equipment to detect forgery.

“Passport forgery is on the rise, necessitating the deployment of the advanced gadgets,” said police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti.

He and senior intelligence officials were at the airport during the unveiling of some of the gadgets on Monday.

The immigration personnel have now been armed with a retro reflective device which can detect whether the photograph on a passport has been tampered with.

The light emanating from the device is focussed on the photograph. “The person scanning the document will get to know immediately whether the original photograph has been replaced,” said Basab Talukdar, the foreigners’ regional registration officer in Calcutta and deputy commissioner (security control).

Another device installed is a Question Document Examiner, which will detect whether a passport has been forged. The passport is inserted into a box and then examined by ultra violet rays. The device also magnifies the passport manifold, making it easier for the staff to detect forgeries.

Both at the departure and arrival counters, a number of closed-circuit TVs have been set up. Voice recorders will be installed soon.

“We have come across instances of a detained passenger giving contradictory statements to the police and the immigration officer. The voice recorder will help us nail the passenger,” said police commissioner Chakrabarti.

The immigration counters will have intercom extensions to facilitate better communication among officers and shift chiefs.

Starting Monday, immigration officers will wear uniforms, which will enable passengers to identify an officer.

Chakrabarti said the staff strength in the immigration wing will soon be upgraded. “A manpower audit is being done and the report will be prepared within a week,” he said.

At times when international flights take off and land in short intervals, the immigration officers have to handle 200-300 passengers in quick succession.

“The airport authorities should also provide more space to the immigration department so that the number of counters can be increased,” said Talukdar. Now, there are 12 counters in the arrival and 10 in the departure zones.

A source said the immigration wing will soon be equipped with the Advance Passenger Information System. The name, gender, date of birth, nationality, and passport and visa details of a city-bound flier will be sent to airport within 15 minutes of his takeoff from anywhere in the world. “This will save time at the immigration counter and alert us in case of a forgery,” said an official.