Mumbai Police’s Passport Verification System Compromised, Engineer Arrested For Clearing Wife’s Applications

MUMBAI: Raja Babu Shah, a 27-year-old construction engineer, was arrested by Mumbai’s Cyber police for reportedly hacking into the city police’s passport verification branch and approving the inquiry reports of three applicants, including his wife.

To avoid suspicion, Shah, a tech-savvy individual, approved two further inquiries. According to police sources, the accused intended to impress his wife, who was planning to travel overseas for employment. However, Shah’s actions have put his wife in jeopardy, as her passport has been suspended.

Last year, the cyber police filed a case against an unknown person at the Azad Maidan police station for forgery of valuable security, will, identity theft, and penalty for cheating with computer resources under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Information Technology Act.

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They learned that the accused had used an internet protocol (IP) address assigned to a device in Noida during their inquiry into the pending passport applications. The investigation was transferred to the crime branch’s south region cyber police station, where a team led by DCP Balsingh Rajput and comprised of ACP Ramchandra Lotlikar, senior PI Kiran Jadhav, and PSI Prakash Gawli gathered technical intelligence and arrested the accused in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Shah was living in a leased house in Uttar Pradesh while his wife worked in Mumbai and sought for a passport. According to the authorities, Shah illegally accessed the system and cleared three inquiries, including his wife’s. The authorities, however, have refused to divulge how Shah gained access to the system.

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Passport files are sent from the Regional Passport Office to the city police’s special branch for verification. The special branch then demands a report from the local police, on which a decision is made and communicated to the passport office.

“In this case, the login ID and password of an officer who is a clearance authority, which was assigned by the minister of external affairs, were hacked,” Azad Maidan police had previously stated. The incident occurred on September 24, which was a holiday, and the police passport branch was closed.

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Shah has been charged with forgery of valuable security, will, identity theft, and punishment for cheating by utilising computer resources under various sections of the IPC and the Information Technology Act. His wife’s passport has been revoked, and he is now in judicial detention. This episode emphasises the hazards of cybercrime and the necessity for strong cybersecurity measures to prevent such disasters in the future.

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