Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Verma said on Thursday that passport verification procedures have been significantly strengthened following the exposure of widespread document forgery operations in the city.

Speaking at the Alipore Bodyguard Lines on World Environment Day, Verma said field officers have been directed to eliminate errors in the verification process.

“In the case of passports, verifying the details of applicants is our job. The field officers have been asked to take steps to ensure there is no mistake at our end. We have recently taken additional measures to tighten the verification process,” he stated.

Major fraud operation uncovered

The enhanced security measures come after Kolkata Police unearthed a sophisticated racket involving 130 individuals, including 120 Bangladeshi nationals, who obtained Indian passports using forged documents.

These fraudulent passports allowed foreign nationals to travel abroad as Indian citizens, creating serious national security concerns.

The investigation revealed that a former police officer previously involved in passport verification had been passing fake documents as authentic. He was arrested and reportedly confessed to his role in the scheme.

New verification protocols

The police have implemented several new security layers for passport applications:

These measures have increased processing times for passport clearances, as
reported by this newspaper in March.

Broader crackdown on document fraud

Commissioner Verma outlined a two-pronged strategy to combat document forgery: “One part is to identify the syndicates, criminals and common people involved in forging identity documents. The second part is to scrutinise identity documents where they are being used.”

The crackdown extends beyond passport applications. The police are now verifying the addresses of accused persons in all criminal cases, ensuring they match Aadhaar card details. Recent cases have revealed multiple instances of fake birth certificates being submitted with passport applications, leading to FIRs and arrests for cheating and forgery.

In one recent case, a man arrested for a road accident was discovered to be a Bangladeshi national who had forged identity documents to legitimise his stay in India.

The comprehensive verification process now covers all identity documents, reflecting the police’s commitment to preventing document fraud across multiple government services.