Passports is one of the most authoritative document to prove the identity of a person as it carries almost all the vital details of the holder,
which can be misused if it falls in wrong hands. Besides they are basically used to facilitate movement of people across national borders all over the world.
Recently it was disclosed that the demand for Indian passports has gained momentum abroad. There is a huge black market which is thriving on the illegal sale of unused but valid passports abroad. This was brought to light by Prabhu Dayal, Consul General of India in New York.
On this disclosure Dayal, in a two day annual convention of Federation of Andhra Pradesh Medical Graduates in USA (APMG) said,
"The Government of India viewed the matter seriously as it came to its notice that several Indians who had acquired citizenship of other nations such as the US, continue to retain their Indian passport, which is illegal, and even sold it for a premium to enable the purchaser to travel to India.”
As the biometric system of finger printing and taking photographs of visitors at immigration counters has not been evoked as yet in India, it is rather easy for an illegal immigrant to enter India on a fake passport unnoticed by the authorities. If criminals are involved in this industry, they can either sell them for money to finance their illegal operations, or reproduce, modify and sell them, for illegal immigration and people trafficking
Odd arrival hours of International flights, where officials at the immigration counter only bother to check if the immigrant is not blacklisted, or wanted by immigration agencies, makes it a cakewalk for such travelers. No biometric process of identification is used to check the immigrant, other than the photograph affixed on the passport.
People often renew their unused Indian Passports, while they continue to hold their US passports simultaneously, and move freely unnoticed.
To tackle this menace, the Government has tried to plug in all the loopholes. The ministry of external affairs has made the surrender of all Indian passports mandatory for all those who have become foreign nationals. All such Indians who have excepted the citizenship of another country have to surrender their passport, get it cancelled and get their renunciation certificate from the missions, to become eligible for Indian Visa, OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India ) card or PIO (People of Indian Origin) card, and get their documents duly attested.
Dayal also added that last year, the Indian Intelligence found a grave security breach, as a stolen Indian Passport played a very significant role, in the murder of Hamas leader in Dubai. He added in his speech that, "It's unfortunate that some Indians who were benefited by Indian education and experience to go abroad for a comfortable living are believed to have sold their old passports to anti-social elements for a price, causing a threat to the peace and security of their motherland," Dayal said.
According to Interpol, the international criminal police organization, 1.1 million travel documents, including passports, have been stolen or lost in recent years.
