The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Telangana on Monday said it has arrested four more persons, including three Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) in connection with a fake passports case, taking the total number of arrests to 22.
In addition to the 18 accused arrested earlier, CID officers have arrested four more persons in connection with the fake passports case bringing the total number to 22, CID Additional Director General of Police Shikha Goel said in a release.
The four arrested include one passport agent and three ASIs working here.
It has been revealed in the investigation that, in addition to the 95 passports issued to illegal immigrants from Sri Lanka, another 30 passports have been issued in the same way bringing the total number of passports to 125, the senior CID official said.
The Passports and Immigration authorities have been informed to take necessary action at their end, she said, adding the investigation is still in progress for collecting evidence of the fraud and apprehension of other connected accused.
On January 19 this year, 12 teams of CID officers conducted simultaneous raids at different locations in Hyderabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and other places in Telangana and apprehended 12 accused including the prime accused, who does graphic designing and printing work, nine agents dealing with processing passports for foreign nationals with fake documents and two special branch officers, the CID had earlier said.
On the modus operandi, the CID had then said the prime accused from Hyderabad, on enquiry from a Chennai agent for creating fake documents in the process for issuing Indian Passports to foreign nationals, had agreed to the process and formed a gang of agents.
The Chennai agent furnished names of passport seekers to the prime accused and after making false documents, he registered the slots on the candidates' names and informed the former, who sent the candidates to Hyderabad, the CID had said.
The accused also managed some SB officials for processing the police verification, it said.
The prime accused along with his associates had processed more than 100 passports, the CID had earlier said.
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