PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency’s anti-corruption cell (ACC) on Thursday arrested seven persons, including five officials of the Peshawar passport office, for issuing fake passports.

ACC additional director Sajjad Khan told Dawn that the accused were involved in issuing passports to Afghan nationals and other people.

He said the accused were defeating the entire system of the passports and they could also have stolen identities for people who were on the exit control list.

He said that the accused had been booked under section 419, 420, 468, 471 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code and section 5 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 at the police station FIA ACC, Peshawar.

The accused were identified as Liaquat Ali, Faisal, Imad Raza, Ms Nasim, Rohit, Majid Ali and agent Inam.

He said the accused had issued a number of passports on the stolen data/CNICs of Pakistani citizens.

Mr Khan said the actual CNIC holders told FIA investigators they neither applied for passports nor had obtained any.

He said the court cancelled the bail before arrest of the accused and they would be produced for physical custody before court on Friday (today).

Mr Khan said the system also provided for amputated and bandaged options which the accused were using to stolen identities of Pakistani citizen.

He said another official at the headquarters of the passport office was bypassing the system, which matched passport office picture with the Nadra database.

He said they had registered an FIR against the accused and more cases were also likely in coming days.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2021