Police seek cancellation of 254 passports

Bathinda, February 16

The Bathinda police today wrote a letter to the Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh, to cancel the 254 lost passports as there was chance of their misuse. It was further mentioned in the letter that information of these lost passports would also be shared with the Airports Authority of India.

DSP (City-2) Gurpreet Singh confirmed the development and said, “We have also demanded the details regarding the names of the beneficiaries, whose passports were dispatched from the Regional Passport Office. It is still a mystery that from where these passports were lost.”

The police have initiated a probe and checking the roles of employees of the Postal Department.

DSP Gurpreet Singh said, “We have also asked for information regarding the route of the speed post from the Postal Department and soon we will crack the case.”

Earlier, officials at the Bathinda post office had lodged an online complaint with the police on January 29, after a packet containing 254 passports, belonging to applicants from Bathinda and Mansa districts, went missing in transit.

These passports were sent from the Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh, via speed post. According to sources, these passports were lost between Ludhiana and Bathinda as the packet had reached Ludhiana a few days ago.

The matter came to light when some applicants approached the post office in Bathinda as they had received an SMS from the Chandigarh office regarding delivery of their passports. — TNS