Fake passport racket's kingpin arrested by Kolkata police

Kolkata Police have uncovered a major fake passport racket that involved the issuance of fraudulent passports to Bangladeshi nationals. The operation led to the arrest of Manoj Gupta, the mastermind behind the racket, along with six other individuals. Police revealed that at least 73 Indian passports were issued to Bangladeshi citizens based on forged documents. Authorities worked in collaboration with passport officials to investigate the extent of the illegal network.

Manoj Gupta, who operated a travel agency and a restaurant in Behala, was arrested on Saturday night from his hideout in Chandpada. Gupta’s racket involved creating fake passports by using counterfeit identity documents such as Aadhaar cards. The process included altering the personal details on these identity documents, including photos and addresses, to match the intended passport applicants. These forged documents were then used to generate fake passports for Bangladeshi nationals, who reportedly paid 2 to 3 lakh rupees per passport.

The police investigation revealed that the network was run from a travel agency in Behala’s Sakher Bazaar area, where fake passports were created by fabricating personal information. Authorities confirmed that Gupta’s computer contained multiple records related to the forged documents, which were being processed at his agency. The passports were being issued by using fraudulent Aadhaar cards, with altered information, allowing the criminals to bypass official verification.

The police also confirmed that Gupta had managed to evade capture during previous attempts by the authorities. He was finally arrested after a raid conducted by Kolkata Police at his travel agency and restaurant in Haridev, where several fake documents were seized. Deepankar, an employee at the travel agency, was arrested earlier during the investigation. The ongoing investigation has led to seven arrests, and further action is being taken to track down more individuals connected to the network. The police are focusing on dismantling the entire operation and preventing future fraudulent passport activities. DGP Rajeev Kumar said that Bengal Police is very vigilant about passport verification and special monitoring is being done on the verification.