Bribes are the rule for passport verification, alleges travel agent

Nagpur: Travel agent Nitesh Gaur is ready to swear an affidavit that he was compelled to pay ₹1,000 bribe to Jaripatka police last year for promptly verifying his eighth passport. Even as the cops are now harassing passport applicants by demanding numerous documents, there has been no action over the host of fraudulent passports facilitated by corrupt cops over the last few years.City police chief Amitesh Kumar had on Thursday said the verification was tightened as several illegal immigrants, including some Bangladeshis, had taken advantage of duplicate documents to prepare Indian passports.

City police have so far not taken any action against cops helping the racketeers, including in the case where almost two dozen persons were booked for ‘kabootarbazi’ or illegal passport racketeering registered at Pachpaoli police station a few years ago. The fake passports had been prepared with the help of cops at Pachpaoli and Jaripatka police station.With complications increasing, city police top brass have only scaled up the verification process. Following instructions, cops from the ‘khufiya’ or intelligence wing have started demanding domicile and birth certificates mentioning the place of birth, tax receipts, and even documents of parents and forefathers. The usual documents like Aadhaar, Pan and ration cards are ignored, as they ‘can be faked easily’.A man in private service too claims to have paid ₹1,000 to Jaripatka police in the past to get verification process expedited for a passport applied under ‘tatkaal’ category.Gaur may not have any proof of the bribe he paid, but he highlights the arm-twisting methods of Jaripatka police to harass citizens. “The cops keep asking for various documents and testimonials, till the citizens get ready to compromise,” he said.Fearing cops would stop their verification and clearance, citizens rarely meet senior officers to lodge complaints or raise alarm regarding the under-the-table demands.Swapnil Kapoor, whose harassment by Jaripatka police was reported by TOI on Friday 22, 2023, said many applicants get their verification done within a short time while some cases remain pending. “The city police top brass must check pendency and quick disposal of some applications,” said Kapoor, who has lost almost Rs1 lakh due to delays and harassment by Jaripatka police.Sources from Jaripatka admit cops harass innocent persons but have given undue advantage to many illegal immigrants. “There is maximum corruption in visa extension among Sindhis coming from Pakistan and settling here,” said the source.A pharma company and real estate business owner made crores with a passport issued irregularly as he did not surrender the Pakistan passport. “There are several in Jaripatka dealing in herbal products, staying in India with the help of cops who manipulate their verification process,” said the source.