Mumbai, Jun 29 (UNI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has conducted raids at 33 locations in Maharashtra and booked 32 persons for allegedly issuing dubious passports in return for huge bribes, an official said here on Saturday.
According to a press note issued by CBI following the complaints, CBI lodged 12 cases in Mumbai and Nashik against 14 passport department officers at the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in Malad and Lower Parel, besides Nashik, and raided various locations.
Among those booked include 14 Passport assistants, senior Passport assistants at the PSKs, and the rest 18 are outside facilitators/ agents/ touts, all of them jointly indulging in corruption activities, besides raiding 33 locations in the two cities, under the jurisdiction of the Regional Passport Office of Mumbai.
The accused were in regular contact with each other and conspired with them to allegedly issue dubious passports with inadequate/ incomplete documentation or manipulation the personal details of the passport applicants.
The CBI team carried out the raids along with the Vigilance Officers of the Passport Seva Programme Division of the Ministry of External Affairs and the RPO, Mumbai officers.
