Lucknow, Aug. 6: Getting through to an IIT, they say, is a sure passport to success. If only the actual passport came with the degree.

Students of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, must have realised by now that graduating with high grades and getting a good GRE rank was easier after running into passport agents and then greedy cops.

If the agents charge them an extra Rs 500 to process their applications, the cops, who verify their antecedents, demand anything between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000, depending on the urgency.

“During the inquiry on my passport application, I told the policeman that being a graduate of IIT-K, I want to take up a job abroad and, therefore, want the inquiry report to be sent to the authorities at the earliest.

“The policeman said just because you are an IIT graduate, my children cannot starve. So pay up Rs 1,000 as an incentive to do your job,” recalled Subodh Krishna, one of the 99 students of the institute who have come forward with their complaints.

The extortion racket at IIT came to light in late-June when, after a probe by the anti-corruption wing, a case against three sub-inspectors of the local intelligence unit, including IIT-K chief security officer Alok Kumar, was registered at Kalyanpur police station.

Later, two sub-inspectors of the unit were suspended after charges were confirmed against them, while deputy superintendent Amarnath Gautam was transferred.

“It was initially thought that only students were victims of the racket. But now it appears that faculty members had to pay hush money for their passports, too,” said superintendent of police (crime) Sripati Mishra, who is investigating the case.

“At least 12 members of the IIT-K faculty, who were compelled to bribe government officials at various stages after applying for passports, have registered their complaints,” said another police officer.

The racket was unearthed following the initiative of the Bharat Uday Mission, an outfit that was formed by a group of IIT-K graduates in 2004 in the memory of Satyendra Dubey, an engineer from the institute who was killed in Bihar after he blew the whistle on corruption.

The mission first carried out a survey among students and teachers and sent the report to the DM’s office, the SP’s office, the Lucknow passport office, the dean of student affairs at the IIT and the office of the President of India.