Identity theft: More than 5,600 passports go missing
TAAP chairman says inside job, police says it hasn’t ruled out any possibility.
KARACHI:
More than 5,600 passports of Umrah travellers were reportedly stolen from the office of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) in Karachi, The Express Tribune learnt on Monday. The TAAP office is located in the defunct Metropole hotel, Saddar.
Sources privy to the matter informed The Express Tribune that the FIR No. 92/11 has been registered against unidentified persons at the Artillery Maidan police station on the complaint of the office manager, Saleem Ahmed. He told the police that the office was closed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the 17 bags containing as many as 5,634 passports of Umrah travellers were probably stolen from the office between June 5 and June 6.
All the agents of the Umrah travel agencies in Karachi submit the passports to the TAAP, which sends them to the Saudi Embassy for the visa process. The passports were stolen before they could be dispatched to the embassy, SHO Asif Munawar told The Express Tribune.
He, however, added that the police is not relying on the statement of the complainant because the crime scene did not suggest a break-in and none of the windows or locks were broken. “There were other valuable things in the office as well, including other passports. Why were only these passports stolen?”
SHO Munawar said that they are looking at “all possibilities”, and an investigation has been initiated in collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency. “The case will be resolved soon,” he added.
Meanwhile, TAAP Chairman Yahya Polani, while talking to The Express Tribune, called the theft a big conspiracy against TAAP. At least 25 of the stolen passports belong to foreigners, he added. “It appears that insiders are behind the incident.” The investigation team is questioning the TAAP employees, including a senior worker, Zubair, he said. “The passports are useless and no one else can use them.” He said that he was hopeful that the passports will be recovered soon. “It will be a major catastrophe if the missing passports are not recovered,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2011.
More than 5,600 passports of Umrah travellers were reportedly stolen from the office of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) in Karachi, The Express Tribune learnt on Monday. The TAAP office is located in the defunct Metropole hotel, Saddar.
Sources privy to the matter informed The Express Tribune that the FIR No. 92/11 has been registered against unidentified persons at the Artillery Maidan police station on the complaint of the office manager, Saleem Ahmed. He told the police that the office was closed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the 17 bags containing as many as 5,634 passports of Umrah travellers were probably stolen from the office between June 5 and June 6.
All the agents of the Umrah travel agencies in Karachi submit the passports to the TAAP, which sends them to the Saudi Embassy for the visa process. The passports were stolen before they could be dispatched to the embassy, SHO Asif Munawar told The Express Tribune.
He, however, added that the police is not relying on the statement of the complainant because the crime scene did not suggest a break-in and none of the windows or locks were broken. “There were other valuable things in the office as well, including other passports. Why were only these passports stolen?”
SHO Munawar said that they are looking at “all possibilities”, and an investigation has been initiated in collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency. “The case will be resolved soon,” he added.
Meanwhile, TAAP Chairman Yahya Polani, while talking to The Express Tribune, called the theft a big conspiracy against TAAP. At least 25 of the stolen passports belong to foreigners, he added. “It appears that insiders are behind the incident.” The investigation team is questioning the TAAP employees, including a senior worker, Zubair, he said. “The passports are useless and no one else can use them.” He said that he was hopeful that the passports will be recovered soon. “It will be a major catastrophe if the missing passports are not recovered,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2011.