LUCKNOW, July 17 -- In a crackdown on forged cross-border permits being used by private buses operating between India and Nepal, the Uttar Pradesh transport department has unearthed a racket involving fake documents allegedly issued by regional transport authorities, officials said. The state government has initiated criminal action in at least three districts and requested a high-level probe by the Special Task Force (STF). Transport commissioner Brajesh Narain Singh has written to the director general of police (DGP), seeking a coordinated investigation, while also alerting the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) and requesting urgent technical reforms. The forgery first came to light following alerts from the Foreigners Registration Office in Lucknow and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), that flagged suspicious permits being used by buses at the Indo-Nepal border. On verification, the documents, meant to be "special permits" issued under the India-Nepal Passenger Traffic Agreement, were found to be either entirely forged or issued without legal authority, according to officials. "FIRs have been filed or are in the process of being registered in Aligarh, Baghpat and Maharajganj, where ARTOs have confirmed in writing that no such permits were ever issued. Similar violations have surfaced in Gorakhpur, Etawah and Auraiya....