Passport scam busted: 5 from Sri Lanka among 9 nabbed

BENGALURU: The city police have busted a fake passport racket and arrested nine people, including five Sri Lankan citizens, at Pillanna Garden near Basavanagudi on Wednesday.

Basavanagudi police busted the passport racket at Bengaluru

Amin Shet, the main accused in the racket, who operated from the city, has been arrested by the Basavanagudi police. Shet initially forged marks cards, Aadhaar cards and later passports, according to a police source. He charged between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2 lakh for a single fake passport. He would create a fake passport only after he had got the entire money in hand. He had created fake passports for citizens of Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The accused has helped more than 100 people, including criminals, get fake passports. The police busted the racket after getting the exact information and raided his office.

P Krishnakanth, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Division, Bengaluru City

“We learned about the passport fraud racket when criminals fled overnight to other countries after a crime. In our investigation, we found out that criminals concealed their identities and fled to other countries with a new identity. To bypass the passport verification, they changed their identity. Passports are delivered through the mail, and one postman was also involved in the racket. Some of the accused are Sri Lankan citizens and they have agents in other countries. We have tracked 12 members and there are more people involved in the racket. We have suspended two officers”, said P Krishnakanth, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Division, Bengaluru City.