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CBI has unearthed yet another illegal passport racket and
recovered 277 passports and other documents. In this connection,
the investigating agency has arrested three persons. The 277
passports which were recovered by CBI were issued by passport
officials at New Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Jalandhar, Ahmedabad,
Guwahati and Bhopal which appear to have been issued in the
names of persons of false identity to send such persons to
foreign countries, particularly, to European countries. Nearly
3,000 passport size photographs of different persons, three
visa stickers of a European country, fake pass books of a
nationalised bank have also been recovered.Investigation by
CBI so far has revealed that most of the persons in whose
names the passports have been recovered are Afghan nationals.
These foreigners have obtained passports in the name of other
persons using their own photographs. Such persons were taken
abroad by the accused persons and their associates and after
dropping them abroad, their passports were brought back by
the accused persons personally or through courier. CBI sleuths
found that some of the original passport holders are non-existing
and they were not found residing at the addresses given in
the application form/passports. Such passports were issued
fraudulently in connivance with the officials of the Regional
Passport Office, New Delhi and travel agents. The Three arrested
persons were instrumental in the issue of passports in the
form of additional passport booklets and also obtaining visas
on the strength of such additional passport documents. After
their arrest on 4.2.2005, these three have been remanded to
police custody till 14.2.2005 for thorough interrogation
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