Wrong address, false info: Over 1,800 passports impounded

CHANDIGARH : The regional passport office here impounded more than 1,800 passports from Punjab and Haryana in 2018.

The defaulters included at least 157 absconding NRI husbands.

The reason for cancellation of these passports was either furnishing of false information with respect to pending criminal cases or the wrong name or address of the applicant, the RPO said.

“On an average, at least four such violators were detected on a daily basis during the process of verifying information,” said regional passport officer (RPO) Sibash Kabiraj.

Terming such people as a risk to the national security, the RPO said such offenders will be caught.

“Whenever they want to come back to India or move to another place, they have to come out. They will then be deported back,” he said.

Amit Kumar Rawat, deputy passport officer, said 100-150 such cases come to the fore every month.

“A change in the policy with respect to tatkal passports is exploited by applicants to furnish false information,” he said.

The Deputy RPO added that once the passport is revoked or impounded, an Indian citizen can only travel back to the country on a one-time ‘emergency certificate’ issued by Indian diplomatic missions abroad.

ON AN AVERAGE, AT LEAST FOUR VIOLATORS WERE DETECTED ON A DAILY BASIS DURING THE PROCESS OF VERIFYING THE INFORMATION, SAYS RPO