CBI arrests Regional Passport Officer and 2 Assistant Passport Officer in a Bribery Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three officers of the Jalandhar Regional Passport Office, including a Regional Passport Officer (RPO) and two Assistant Passport Officers (APOs) in a bribery case related to the issuance of Passports, on a complaint.

On the basis of a complaint, the CBI filed a case against an Assistant Passport Officer at the Regional Passport Office in Jalandhar. The complainant claimed he requested new passports for his granddaughter and grandson. When the complainant, allegedly, met the accused APO to check status of the said two passports, the accused demanded a bribe of Rs. 25,000 for the issuance of a passport.

It was further stated that the accused informed the complainant that the bribe amount was taken at the order of an RPO and another APO, and that it was shared between them.

CBI set a trap and captured the accused APO red-handed while seeking and taking a bribe of Rs 25,000. RPO and another APO from the Regional Passport Office in Jalandhar were also detained.

Searches are being undertaken at the accused persons’ homes and offices. So far, around Rs.20 lakh in cash and incriminating documents have been seized.

The investigation is going on.