KOLKATA: After conducting a raid in more than 50 locations across the state and Gangtok in Sikkim, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) booked 24 persons for their alleged involvement in passport scam.
Within the city, searches by CBI were conducted in Ruby, Salt Lake and Howrah.
A six-member CBI team went to the house of Sheikh Sahanur, resident of Uluberia in Howrah on Saturday morning.
The person was interrogated for six hours and after he was unable to give satisfactory answers, he was taken by the CBI for further questioning.
Similarly, a CBI team visited the passport office in Ruby area at 7 am on Saturday, a news agency reported.
Searches have been taking place across Kolkata, Siliguri, Darjeeling and Gangtok amongst other places.
According to a news agency, the central investigating agency detained an official posted in Gangtok and a middleman. Reportedly, Rs 1,90,000 was allegedly found in possession of the middleman who is a hotel agent.
Out of the 24 individuals named in the FIR, 16 are officials who have been alleged for issuing these passports to ineligible persons including non-residents, in return for bribes.