Kolkata: The Kolkata police arrested five people for allegedly running a fake passport scam and selling forged papers for ₹2 to 5 lakh each, according to an officer on Thursday.
The organisation has illegally issued at least 73 fake Indian passports to infiltrators, particularly Bangladeshi citizens, using fake documents. Dipankar Biswas, the fifth suspect, was detained by police on Wednesday in Parnasree, Kolkata.
The other four suspects are Samaresh Biswas and his son Ripon from Barasat in North 24 Parganas, as well as Taraknath Sen and Dipak Mondal, two postal department contractual employees. “The father-son duo is believed to be the kingpins of the racket. Mondal is a contractual employee at the Dhakuria post office, while Sen is a data entry operator at the Basirhat post office in North 24 Parganas,” said a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official alleged that the syndicate procured illegal passports mainly for Bangladeshi nationals, helping them stay in India and travel abroad. After their appearance in court, the five individuals were all remanded to police custody.
Police believe that illegal immigrants left the country after having their fake passports manufactured. An alert has been sent to the minister of external affairs. “Further investigations are ongoing, and more individuals may be involved in the racket,” said the officer.
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