A recent scandal in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, has led to the suspension of a police officer involved in the issuance of a passport to a Lawrence Bishnoi gang member. The officer failed to verify the fraudulent address provided, resulting in a passport being granted to the gang affiliate. The accused constable, Sandeep Kumar, was stationed at the Kanker Khera police station in Meerut.
Superintendent of Police (City), Ayush Vikram Singh, disclosed that Preetam Singh Barar, associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was wanted by the Rajasthan police. Constable Sandeep Kumar was tasked with verifying the address for Barar's passport application. However, his failure to accurately verify the provided fake address resulted in the passport's issuance.
The City SP explained that further investigation found Constable Kumar guilty of negligence in the document verification process. Consequently, the Meerut SSP suspended him. The constable's inability to confirm the address led to the passport's approval, and strict departmental actions are being pursued against him.
An intelligence agency report revealed that no verification was conducted for the passport application. The police have taken action against several officers whose roles appeared suspicious. Additionally, Raju Ved, who operates a cyber café in Ghaziabad, was arrested for his involvement in the fraud. He was accused of creating fake passports for Rahul Kumar and Mahendra Kumar.
Both offenders have multiple charges filed against them in Bikaner, Rajasthan, and were evading the law. Following these developments, the Rajasthan police informed the then-SSP of Meerut, initiating a thorough investigation. Rahul Kumar and Mahendra Kumar, residents of Bikaner, Rajasthan, and associates of Lawrence Bishnoi, currently imprisoned in Sabarmati Jail, Gujarat, managed to escape to Dubai using passports made under fraudulent addresses.
