Despite the simplification of procedures for issue of passport, applicants continue to fall prey to unscrupulous persons and end up paying much higher than the prescribed fee.
The unscrupulous persons are devising innovative methods to catch the applicants unaware, and minting money in the process. Under the garb of providing ‘passport online services’, they are approaching universities/colleges for submitting online application forms and collecting exorbitant fee for making the application. They are charging ₹2,500 as against the prescribed fee of ₹1,500 for filling the form and booking slots.
“A student was surprised when she was told by the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) staff that the fee for making an application was only ₹1,500. She revealed that she was charged ₹2,500 at the online service provided at the college,” Regional Passport Officer N.L.P. Choudhary told The Hindu on Tuesday.
“Further interrogation had revealed that someone on the banner of Passport Online Services visited the Maharaja Vijayaram Gajapathiraj College of Engineering, Vizianagaram, and deceived both the management and the students”.
After obtaining the permission from the college authorities, they put up a camp on the college premises for almost one week and made passport online applications for the students of the college. They charged ₹2500 per application and it is estimated that they had made more than 200 applications.
It may be recalled that similar incidents had taken place in mid 2015 at Visakha Institute of Technology, Baba Institute and Vignan University. This is the fourth college in the list. The Regional Passport Office here had issued a statement in August 2015 cautioning all the institutions and students not to fall prey to such unscrupulous persons and get cheated.
“We had sent a letter to the management of this college in the past offering to conduct an online camp on their premises but there was no response from them. They have now walked into the trap of this unscrupulous agent, who is charging ₹1,000 more from each student. The management seems unaware that the students were being cheated,” Mr. Choudhary said.
He called upon all colleges to be careful and cautious before allowing any such persons and in case of any suspicion contact the Regional Passport Office in the city or on the phone no. 0891-2745747 or by email rpo.vizag@mea.gov.in .
The RPO had conducted camps at various colleges in the past and will soon conduct camps at Avanthi College of Engineering, Narasipatnam, GIET- Rajamundry, Lendi College of Engineering, Vizianagaram and Sri Prakash College of Engineering at Tuni.
