At least nine fake passport websites have been identified by the Calcutta regional passport office through which hundreds of Calcuttans are filing their applications and getting duped, officials at the city passport office said.

These websites look almost identical to the website set up by the ministry of external affairs to apply for a passport, the officials said.

“We are frequently getting complaints from people who are getting duped by applying through fake websites. Applicants need to be cautious…. If they are duped by a fake website, it is impossible for the passport office to address their grievance,” said Calcutta regional passport officer Bibhuti Bhushan Kumar.

The only website through which one should apply for a passport in India is www.passportindia.gov.in.

“Some websites charge double and get the work done by processing documents with the original website and generating the application reference number,” said an official. However, in many cases, the applicants are completely duped as the websites do not process their papers at all.

The charges for getting a 36-page passport and a 60-page passport are Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000, respectively, Kumar said.

The complaints have been forwarded to the cyber cell of the external affairs ministry.

Cop report

Records at the RPO show Bidhannagar police have been the fastest in Bengal in preparing verification reports. Compared with the national average of nine days, Bidhannagar police are completing the process in 10 days, followed by East Burdwan (19 days) and Calcutta police (20 days). Calcutta police were once the first on the list.