Passport fraud: Police officer arrested for forging verification records
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): A police officer has been arrested for allegedly forging verification records to facilitate issuance of a passport to a local resident in Dakshina Kannada district, police said on Tuesday.
The case emerged following discrepancies in the verification of Shakti Das' passport application submitted in February 2025, they said.
Authorities reported that an initial application was flagged due to an address mismatch.
Das re-submitted his application in June 2025, but the investigation revealed that police inspector Pradeep had forged a report under the name of a beat officer, falsifying records to circumvent the verification process.
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The fraudulent activities came to light when documents were reviewed on December 19, revealing an attempt to destroy evidence related to the case, a senior police officer said.
As a result, a case has been filed against Das and Pradeep at Vitla police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including forgery and criminal breach of trust, police said.
Pradeep has been taken into custody and presented to the court, which has ordered his judicial remand, they said.
According to police, inquiries are on to ascertain the background of Das, who is still at large.
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Ramzan fasts to begin in India from Thursday
New Delhi (PTI): Ramzan fasts will begin on Thursday in India as the crescent moon marking the start of the fasting month was sighted in various parts of the country on Wednesday.
After the sighting of the moon, the holy month begins and for the next 30 days, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
Shahi Imam of Chandni Chowk's Fatehpuri mosque Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmed announced that the crescent moon was sighted and the month of fasting will start from February 19.
Naib Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Shaban Bukhari also declared that the moon was sighted.
During this month, a special prayer called Taraweeh are offered in mosques in the evening. In this prayer, the entire Quran is recited and it continues till the sighting of the Eid moon.
Mufti Mukarram has appealed to the Muslim community to "pray as much as possible for the well-being of the 140 crore people of the country".
