Ghaziabad: In a major crackdown on a passport forgery racket, the Crime Branch of Ghaziabad Police has arrested two accused, including the alleged mastermind, for facilitating the issuance of 22 fake passports from a single address in the Bhojpur police station area. Investigators revealed that the accused charged Rs 1.5 lakh per passport while using forged documents to process the applications.
According to police officials, the arrested individuals have been identified as Mustaq Ahmed, a resident of Jamia Nagar in Delhi, and Mudasir Khan, who lives in Daryaganj, Delhi. The Bhojpur police station’s postman, who allegedly played a crucial role in delivering the passports and enabling the racket, is currently absconding, and efforts are underway to trace him.
Mastermind charged Rs 1.5 lakh per passport
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Piyush Singh stated that Mustaq Ahmed is believed to be the mastermind behind the operation. He previously lived in Khyala, Delhi, and worked as a property dealer while also illegally arranging passports for clients.
During interrogation, Mustaq admitted that he charged around Rs 1.5 lakh from each applicant to obtain passports through forged documents. The racket targeted individuals willing to pay large sums to bypass legal verification processes.
Each gang member had a fixed role
Police investigations revealed that the gang operated in an organised manner, with specific responsibilities assigned to each member and the money distributed accordingly.
Mudasir Khan was responsible for bringing in customers and identifying people seeking passports through illegal means. For every successful application, he reportedly received Rs 25,000 as commission. Another gang member, Vivek, handled the process of preparing documents and managing the passport application stage. He has already been arrested earlier and is currently in jail.
Network began in 2019
According to investigators, Mudasir told police during questioning that he is originally from Batmalu in Srinagar, Kashmir, and had been living in Daryaganj for several years, where he worked as a cab driver. He revealed that he met Mustaq in 2019 while seeking help with document-related work. The two later formed a network to arrange passports using forged identity documents, gradually expanding their operation and bringing in more members.
Police said the gang used a wide range of forged identity documents to support the passport applications. These included fake Aadhaar cards, driver’s licences, birth certificates, and bank passbooks, which were prepared to create a false identity trail for applicants. Using these fabricated documents, the accused submitted passport applications online. Investigators also found that several applications were linked to the same mobile numbers, raising suspicion during the probe. Out of the 22 passports issued, 13 applications were submitted using a single mobile number, while six were filed using another number and two were filed using a different number.
Authorities also suspect the involvement of a local postman from the Bhojpur police station area, who allegedly played a crucial role in the delivery of the passports without attracting attention. Police believe the postman helped ensure the documents reached the applicants smoothly as part of the racket. He is currently absconding, and police teams are conducting searches to trace and arrest him.
