Rehman Malik orders inquiry into missing passports fiasco
Inquiry committee to investigate the possibility of these passports falling into the wrong hands.
KARACHI:
Interior Minister Rehman Malik has ordered an inquiry, on Friday, into the theft of more than 5000 passports from Karachi.
It is reported that over 5000 passports of Umra travellers were stolen from the Karachi office of the Travel Agents Association.
Malik also directed the authorities to cancel the passports within 24 hours while forming a committee to investigate the possibility of these passports falling into the wrong hands.
The Association's office had been closed for three days and it is suspected that the passports were stolen during that time.
Earlier on Tuesday, June 7, it was reported that more than 5,600 passports of Umrah travellers were reportedly stolen from the office of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) in Karachi, located in the defunct Metropole hotel, Saddar.
Sources privy to the matter had informed The Express Tribune that the FIR No. 92/11 had been registered against unidentified persons at the Artillery Maidan police station on the complaint of the office manager, Saleem Ahmed. He had 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 police claimed to not only relying on the statement of the complainant that there had been a break-in, since they found it hard to believe that the alleged robbers left other valuables in the office untouched while only stealing passports. Also that the crime scene did not suggest a break-in as none of the windows or locks were broken.
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.
TAAP Chairman Yahya Polani, while talking to The Express Tribune, had called the theft a big conspiracy against TAAP since at least 25 of the stolen passports belonged to foreigners.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik has ordered an inquiry, on Friday, into the theft of more than 5000 passports from Karachi.
It is reported that over 5000 passports of Umra travellers were stolen from the Karachi office of the Travel Agents Association.
Malik also directed the authorities to cancel the passports within 24 hours while forming a committee to investigate the possibility of these passports falling into the wrong hands.
The Association's office had been closed for three days and it is suspected that the passports were stolen during that time.
Earlier on Tuesday, June 7, it was reported that more than 5,600 passports of Umrah travellers were reportedly stolen from the office of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) in Karachi, located in the defunct Metropole hotel, Saddar.
Sources privy to the matter had informed The Express Tribune that the FIR No. 92/11 had been registered against unidentified persons at the Artillery Maidan police station on the complaint of the office manager, Saleem Ahmed. He had 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 police claimed to not only relying on the statement of the complainant that there had been a break-in, since they found it hard to believe that the alleged robbers left other valuables in the office untouched while only stealing passports. Also that the crime scene did not suggest a break-in as none of the windows or locks were broken.
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.
TAAP Chairman Yahya Polani, while talking to The Express Tribune, had called the theft a big conspiracy against TAAP since at least 25 of the stolen passports belonged to foreigners.