A junior passport assistant and a private passport agent have been remanded in CBI custody until May 9, 2025, in Mumbai for alleged corruption and forgery. The accused, Aakash Rathee and Sanjeev Rahi, are accused of accepting bribes totaling ₹6 lakh to facilitate the issuance of passports based on forged documents, posing a potential national security threat .

The CBI’s investigation revealed that Rathee received multiple transactions amounting to ₹6 lakh in his bank account from various agents. Additionally, two passports were issued to applicants using forged documents, with one suspect believed to have fled the country using a fraudulent passport .

The CBI is conducting further inquiries to identify other officials and agents involved in this alleged racket .

Sources