More than ₹12.5 lakh has been found in the bank account of retired sub-inspector Abdul Hai, which police said he had earned as bribes for approving passport applications with faulty documents.

Hai was arrested from his Habra house in North 24-Parganas late on Friday for his alleged link with the passport racket.

The retired cop, who was posted in the anti-dacoity section of Kolkata Police’s detective department and the security control office (SCO), used to take between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000 from applicants for approving passport applications accompanied with faulty documents, the police said.

Officers said they were trying to verify the source of the money in the account of Hai’s wife.

“The money in Hai’s account was mostly from one of the kingpins of the passport racket, Samaresh Biswas, who was arrested from Barasat,” said an officer.

Another officer involved in the probe said a constable in Kolkata Police was under investigation.

“Whoever is at fault and has compromised the sanctity of the system will be caught,” said a senior officer of Kolkata Police.

The vetting of a passport application includes verification of the documents submitted by the applicant, and his or her background and address. The officer concerned also looks for cases against him or her, if any.

A scrutiny by the passport office revealed that at least 240 passports had been issued across Bengal despite faulty identity documents submitted by the applicants. The police allegedly failed to detect the discrepancies.

Of the 240 applications, at least 52 were cleared by Hai, the police said.

The passport applications sent to Kolkata Police are verified by the respective police stations or the security control office.

An investigator said Hai would insist on verifying the cases referred to the SCO as well as police stations.

“We are checking who else was involved in the racket,” said a senior member of the special investigation team formed to probe the passport racket.

Sources said the SIT has sought details from the FRRO (Foreigner Regional Registration Office) about all those who have obtained passports using fake documents in
Bengal. The police are trying to find out where they are now.