'Hacker' gets access to Mumbai police officer's login ID and password, clears three applications

An unidentified person got access to the log-in ID and password of a Mumbai police officer in the passport branch and cleared three applications pending verification, an official said on Wednesday.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the unidentified person for hacking and logging into the online passport verification system managed by the Central government and completing the verification process of three passport applications, he said.

The accused got access to the login ID and password of a police officer of the passport branch and completed the verification process. The investigation revealed that the incident occurred on September 24 when the special branch (2) office was shut due to a government holiday. The three persons whose verification papers were cleared are residents of Antop Hill, Chembur, and Tilak Nagar, in Mumbai.

Explaining the procedure for passport verification, the official said a person seeking a passport applies on the passport Seva website, after which verification of address and other details is done by local police.

A Police Verification Report (PVR) is submitted to the SB (II) for Mumbai which reviews the application before approving verification. The verification documents with remarks are forwarded to the Regional Passport Office (RPO) which takes the final call on the allotment or denial of the passport to applicants, the official added.

For this purpose, the Central government has provided an online verification system and created separate login IDs for all the officials posted in the passport branch.