Kolkata: Amidst some tough questions by the Alipore court judge on the possible role of govt officials responsible for the verification of passport applications, the Kolkata Police SIT carrying out the probe into the fake passports issued to Bangladeshis in India since August this year, on Saturday said that "everyone – from the police officers, Aadhaar centre employees and even the regional passport office — was under scanner".
When Samaresh Biswas, the main accused, was presented in Alipore court on Friday, the court inquired how the passports were issued. It questioned the role of the police officers responsible for document verification and asked whether any action would be taken against them. The investigating officer informed the court that the investigation had just begun and that they were examining all aspects.
It was soon after this hearing that Lalbazar decided to write to the passport office and Aadhaar centres – as well as district cops – seeking more details. The cops on Saturday claimed that when they verified the 73 odd fake Aadhaar cards used to apply for passports, they spotted several discrepancies. "This raises suspicions that such work might not be possible without the involvement of some employees at the Aadhaar centres. The entire matter will become clearer once all documents and information are obtained," explained a probe officer.
Meanwhile, cops claimed to have unearthed plans of how mastermind Biswas used his own family members to run his gang. Even as his son Ripon acted as his eyes and ears, Rekha — his wife — acted as a courier guiding Bangladeshis to the centres where Indian identity cards were issued. The SIT has arrested five people so far in connection with the fake passport ring.
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