CBI raids Regional Passport office Jalandhar, three officials arrested on bribery charges

 JALANDHAR: A team of CBI from Chandigarh today raided the Regional Passport office at Jalandhar on the basis of a complaint regarding demanding bribe from a passport applicant. The CBI has arrested a Regional Passport Officer and two assistant passport officers.

The CBI has also recovered unaccounted money of Rs.20 lakh from the residence of arrested officials during searches. The CBI sources said that they had received a complaint that the an assistant passport officer had demanded Rs.25000 from the complainant who had applied for the passports of his two grand children. The conversation of passport officer was recorded and CBI arrested the officer who demanded the bribe. The bribe money was distributed between Regional Passport office and two assistant passport officers. CBI has registered cases under prevention of corruption act.

The raid was follow up of a letter written by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Sfingh Seechewal to Union external affairs minister Jaishankar, alleging large scale corruption in the passport office at Jalandhar. He had also mentioned about the complaint of Gaurav Luthra who made a complaint in this regard.