MUMBAI, May 29 -- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a passport assistant and a private agent after it found that the duo was allegedly involved in the issuance of seven passports to unknown applicants based on forged documents. Passport assistant Akshay Meena and agent Bhavesh Shah were arrested on Tuesday and produced in a special court in Mumbai on Wednesday. The court remanded them to CBI custody till June 2, saying it was "a matter of serious concern" that five of the applicants had travelled abroad. In June last year, the CBI had conducted a joint surprise check along with officers from the Passport Seva Programme at 33 locations in Mumbai and Nashik, including the Passport Seva Kendra under the Regional Passport Office, Lower Parel. Twelve corruption cases were registered against many passport assistants and agents, based on reports that the officials would conspire with agents to issue passports based on incomplete or falsified documents. During the checks, the CBI found that Meena was in contact with various private agents to issue passports. The CBI probe revealed that the accused official had allegedly received Rs.1.9 lakh from many agents, including Shah, for helping in passport-related work. It was also alleged that the arrested official shared the amount with the others. The CBI's analysis of WhatApp chats between the arrested duo during June 18-24, 2024, allegedly showed them to be coordinating the passport issuance work of the seven persons and discussing issues related to payment. The investigation revealed that all seven submitted forged Aadhar and PAN cards, bank account statements and birth certificates. The CBI said that the arrested official did not conduct due verification of the documents but endorsed them. The agency said that the seven were currently untraceable. The CBI told that the two were interrogated but got evasive answers....