Modinagar: A major breach in the passport verification system has come to light in Ghaziabad, where 22 passports were issued using a single mobile number and fake residential addresses. The case has exposed serious lapses in police verification procedures. Police have registered an FIR against 25 persons and arrested five accused, including a woman, while search operations are underway to nab the remaining suspects.
The fraud surfaced after the Regional Passport Office Delhi wrote to Bhojpur police station on December 11, 2025, seeking physical verification of addresses mentioned in 22 passport applications. All the applications carried addresses from Bhojpur and Tyori villages in Ghaziabad district. Investigators were alerted by the fact that the same mobile number was recorded in all 22 passports, raising immediate red flags.
No residents found, addresses proved fake
During field verification, police found that none of the passport holders resided at the addresses mentioned. Local residents and village records confirmed that no such individuals ever lived at those locations, establishing that all addresses were fictitious. Despite this, the passports had already been issued, triggering serious concerns over how the mandatory police verification process was completed.
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As per procedure, passport applications are forwarded online to the local police for field verification. Police personnel are required to physically verify the address and submit their report digitally to the passport office. The investigation revealed that Bhojpur police had submitted positive verification reports for all 22 applications, despite the ground reality being entirely different. This has led to suspicions of collusion or gross negligence on the part of personnel involved in the verification process.
Accused arrested, postman played a key role
Police have arrested Delhi residents Vivek Gandhi and Prakash Subba, Meerut resident Arun Kumar, along with Amandeep Singh and Savant Kaur, who is accused of helping arrange forged documents for the passport applications.
During interrogation, postman Arun Kumar made crucial disclosures. He told police that around five months ago, two men identifying themselves as Vivek Gandhi and Prakash Subba approached him and informed him that several passports would arrive addressed to Bhojpur and Tyori villages. He was allegedly instructed not to deliver the passports at the stated addresses, but to hand them over directly to the accused.
A deal was struck under which the postman would receive ₹2,000 per passport. Lured by the money, he handed over all the passports to the accused. Police have confirmed that all 22 passports were obtained using forged documents.
Suspected plan to travel abroad
Investigators suspect that the passports were intended to be used for foreign travel, with Canada among the likely destinations. Police are now verifying whether any of the passports were actually used, and if so, whether international travel was undertaken using these identities.
Immigration records are being examined and inputs are being sought from central agencies. Officials said that if the passports were used for overseas travel, the case could acquire national security dimensions, given the potential misuse of forged identities.
Police verification under scrutiny, two constables in probe
Following the exposure of the racket, the role of local police has come under sharp scrutiny. Sources confirmed that two constables involved in the verification process are under investigation. Authorities are examining whether the verification reports were deliberately falsified or whether the lapse resulted from serious dereliction of duty.
Senior officers said that if police complicity is established, those responsible will face departmental action as well as criminal prosecution.
Hunt for wider network
Police believe the racket may be part of a larger organised network involved in preparing forged documents, facilitating passport applications and manipulating verification mechanisms. Investigators are tracing the entire chain, from document forgers to intermediaries and those who benefited from the passports.
Officials are also probing how the system allowed the same mobile number to be used across multiple passport applications without triggering alerts, indicating possible systemic loopholes. Police said more arrests are likely in the coming days, and an internal audit of the verification process has been initiated to prevent similar breaches in the future.
