Spy passport: ATS handed probe charge

The order came after contradictions surfaced between the inquiry report of Lucknow Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and the documents available with the regional passport office.

The ATS Additional Director General (ADG) AK Jain said: “The fresh probe was ordered to investigate the role of the Lucknow Local Intelligence Unit (LIU),the Qaiserbagh police and the passport officials who dealt with Ali’s passport application.”

Lucknow Regional Passport Officer JP Singh said: “An internal inquiry is going on to identify the staff involved in issuing the passport. Primary findings reveal that the police verification was conducted by the Lucknow LIU. The police and the passport office had received the report.” He,however,added that the details will be known only after the reports of the internal inquiry and that of the ATS were received.

The ADG (Law and Order) Brij Lal said the details with the passport office showed police verification reports of 27 applicants were received from the Lucknow LIU on June 9,2005. Ali’s name is mentioned at number 20 in the list.

But the inquiry report submitted by Lucknow DIG Prem Prakash stated that the LIU did not send any report that day.

On Tuesday,Jain had said that the Lucknow DIG’s inquiry had found that the Lucknow police never received any requisition from the passport office seeking a verification report about Ali. Besides,the Lucknow police had submitted verification report of another person,Sunil Saxena,against the serial number of Ali in the passport office register.