LUCKNOW, Sept. 9 -- A man from Gorakhpur was arrested at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on September 4 after his return from Bangkok, exposing a nexus of fake passport issuance in Sant Kabir Nagar. Police said the arrest was made based on a lookout circular issued against him for the past one year. He was later brought to Sant Kabir Nagar on transit remand for further proceedings. Sant Kabir Nagar superintendent of police (SP) Sandeep Kumar Meena said passports were allegedly issued to 101 individuals between 2020 and 2021 on false addresses, some of whom had criminal records. Out of them, 47 persons had already travelled abroad. "Some of them have returned through Mumbai airport, while others are still absconding. These individuals travelled to countries including Congo, Dubai, Kuwait, Iraq, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Lookout circulars have been issued against them," he said. The SP said the arrested man, identified as Sumant, son of Dulare of Barhalganj in Gorakhpur, had obtained a passport under a fake identity. He posed as Chandu, son of Shankar of Khalilabad, Sant Kabir Nagar, and travelled to Bangkok in 2023. He was intercepted at Mumbai airport upon his return. Investigation revealed that he paid Rs 30,000 to a middleman for the document. Police said 21 persons have so far been arrested in the case, including a passport agent and middlemen. The accused are linked to the racket that came to light in February 2023 when anomalies were first detected. Then SP Satyajeet Gupta had ordered a probe, which was conducted by the circle officer of Khalilabad, Anshuman Mishra. The inquiry revealed that head constable Manoj Kumar Patel, who was handling passport-related work, allegedly altered police verification reports using the district ID password. Reports marked 'not clear' were changed to 'clear' in exchange for money. Patel allegedly received Rs 3,000 per passport from middleman Virendra Yadav, out of which Rs 1,000 was allegedly given to sub-inspector Kameshwar Mishra, in charge of the passport cell. An FIR was lodged against Patel, Mishra, Yadav, and other beneficiaries on March 7, 2023, at Khalilabad police station. The police said further investigation is underway to trace and arrest other accused, including those currently abroad. HTC...