More to passport for Pak spy than meets the eye

With the preliminary inquiry by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of UP police pointing to the possibility of connivance of some employees of the Regional Passport Office and Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) in the case relating to the passport issued in Lucknow to the suspected Pakistani spy, Syed Amir Ali, the police are trying to find out a possible racket and even sabotage.

Amir Ali was arrested by the Delhi police at the IGI airport a few days ago and inquiries revealed that his passport was issued in Lucknow way back in June 2005. Though the passport was genuine, the documents submitted by Mr. Ali were found to be fake, police said. Two persons , who sold the fake documents to him were arrested a couple of days ago.

The Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order), Arvind Kumar Jain, who holds the charge of ATS said the procedure for issuing the passport was not followed by the LIU and Regional Passport Office and the “sabotage” would not have been possible without the connivance of some employees of the two offices. Mr. Jain said there was a possibility that Amir Ali would be interrogated for busting the possible racket.

The services of handwriting experts would also be sought for matching the handwriting of the employees, who sent the LIU report and those who received it in the passport office.

Reports of 27 passport applicants, including that of Mr. Ali , were sent by the LIU to the passport office on June 9, 2005. Of the 27 files, eight have been traced while the others were being downloaded from the computer, Mr. Jain told journalists here on Thursday. The veracity of the addresses given in the files would be verified.

He added that the LIU records of the period were being examined by the ATS sleuths and many of them have not been traced. Mr. Jain indicated that the LIU records were silent on the issue of the 27 applicants.

However, the ADG said it will take time before the alleged racket is unearthed. He added that, in the wake of this case, the police would enforce a system to ensure that due procedure is strictly followed in the other passport offices in the State.