The city police today admitted in the Delhi High Court that passports have been issued on fake and non-existent addresses due to "bogus" verification by policemen against whom action has been taken.
The submission came in response to a PIL alleging that passports were being issued to people who are not living at the addresses given by them in their applications.
Citing five cases of passport applications received from Humayunpur village in south Delhi, the police said the Regional Passport Office (RPO) had issued the document to the five individuals by post but the postman was unable to trace the persons or the addresses.
On receiving the information, a vigilance enquiry was carried out which revealed that the addresses of the applicant and their witnesses "did not exist and were fake".
Not only the applicants and their references could not be traced, there was no response on the mobile numbers provided by them, Delhi Police said in its affidavit filed before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw.
On questioning the Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) who had carried out the verification, he admitted he had not carried out physical verification of the addresses and had asked the applicants to meet him at a certain location with proofs of identity and residence, the affidavit said.
"Enquiry revealed the ASI submitted fake and bogus police verification reports in respect of the five passports by deliberately flouting instructions laid down for police verification...," police said in its affidavit.
It also said the policeman concerned has been suspended and departmental enquiry ordered against him.
It also said the Deputy Commissioner of Police, south district, has been asked to take appropriate action against the passport applicants and other erring persons, if any.
"Clear and specific instructions have been issued to conduct the physical verification of the addresses of the passport addresses and their personal particulars, including their nationality and previous antecedents before submitting the passport verification reports to RPO," police said.
