Online tatkal passport racket busted

HYDERABAD: Passport tatkal online booking racket was busted and seven accused persons arrested by the city Task Force sleuths.

Addressing a press meet on Friday, city police commissioner A K Khan said the police started investigation after the passport authorities informed them that applicants were finding it difficult to get slots on the tatkal online booking site as it was never accessible.

The probe found that the passport office website was being hacked and online bookings blocked. The gang involved in it was selling the blocked slots for a hefty sum. In the last two months alone, as many as 3,000 applications were sold through these online slots.

The commissioner said Gorantla Lathadhar Rao, 36, a shop owner, Shaik Subhani, 34, travel agent (Akash Travels) from Narasaraopet in Guntur district, Mohd Jahangir, 45, native of Rezimental Bazar in Secunderabad, Bhooma Srihari, 56, resident of Market Street of Secunderabad, Giddala Chinna, 29, of Kummariguda, Secunderabad, Syed Valiuddin, 30, of Tolichowki, Kondreddy Penchal Reddy, 35, of Chikkadpally were arrested. All the seven are passport agents, he informed. Two other accused Khaleem and Srinivas of Hyderabad are absconding.

“These nine had formed a gang and were charging Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 from each applicant in dire need of a passport under tatkal scheme,’’ the commissioner said.
The police seized the laptop used by the hacker, Lathadhar Rao, along with wireless internet modem and copies of passport applications. The Market police are investigating the case.

The website www.Passport.gov.in, is developed and maintained by the National Informatic Centre (NIC), New Delhi.