WB: ED raids multiple locations in connection with alleged fake passport racket

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday raided at least eight locations across West Bengal, including Kolkata, in connection with the alleged fake passport racket which the Kolkata Police busted late last year.

Officials aware of the development said the federal agency conducted search operations in Beck Bagan in Kolkata, Birati in North 24 Parganas and Gede in Nadia, among other places.

In December 2024, the Kolkata Police busted a racket that issued fake passports using forged documents. At least 10 people were arrested between December 2024 and January 2025.

“A case was registered in September 2024 by the Bhowanipore police station after the Security Control Office (SCO) flagged multiple cases in which passports were issued using forged documents. The case first came to light during an audit of the Regional Passport Office in Kolkata,” an officer said.

Earlier this year, the Kolkata Police filed a charge sheet against 130 people. While 10 were arrested, the rest were on the run. Many were allegedly Bangladeshi nationals, and the police issued lookout notices against 69 accused persons.

Among those arrested was a retired cop, a law clerk, temporary employees of the postal department among others.

The ED collected documents from the Kolkata Police earlier this year and registered a case, the officials said.

Subsequently, the West Bengal Police wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to strengthen the passport verification and delivery system.

“Police have very little role to play in the verification process. We have written to the the MEA and we are actively pursuing it as this needs to be changed. We have suggested a new system, in which not only the District Intelligence Branch (DIB) but also the local police station and senior officers will play a bigger role,” Rajeev Kumar, director general of West Bengal Police, told media persons on 29 December 2024.

Investigations by the police revealed that fake documents were used to prepare Indian passports, which were sold anywhere between ₹2 lakh and ₹5 lakh to mostly Bangladeshis. The racket has delivered more than 70 such Indian passports, officials said.