Gujarat ATS books man for obtaining second passport for ₹65 lakh using forged docs

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has registered an FIR against former Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) functionary Harikesh Patel for allegedly obtaining a second passport by paying ₹65 lakh and using forged documents, including a fabricated Agra address.

According to the ATS, Patel concealed the fact that his original passport had already been surrendered to a court and later filed a false complaint with the Delhi Crime Branch claiming it had been lost.

The ATS said Patel’s original passport, numbered S2528999, had been deposited with a court. Investigators allegedly found that he used forged rent agreements showing addresses in Delhi and Agra and subsequently updated his Aadhaar card with the Agra address.

Using the updated Aadhaar details, Patel allegedly obtained a second passport, numbered C0538007, from the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Ghaziabad on July 26, 2024. He allegedly used the passport to travel to Bangkok, Singapore and Dubai via Bhutan before returning to India through Nepal, the ATS said.

Patel was initially named as an accused in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) investigation into the ₹50-crore Power Bank app fraud case but was later made a witness. The ED had conducted searches at multiple locations across Gujarat in 2024 as part of the investigation.

The ATS launched the probe after receiving information that Patel was allegedly in possession of two passports. He was summoned for questioning, following which the agency registered a case and began investigating how the second passport was obtained.

The ATS is now attempting to identify the person who allegedly helped Patel obtain the second passport for ₹65 lakh. The agency is also probing the network allegedly involved in preparing the forged documents.

The FIR was registered on Sunday under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Passport Act. Patel has been accused of forgery and cheating. DeshGujarat