Bogus Ration card racket to aid Jihadi Terrorist

Extremist groups eyeing ration cards?

Source:www.newindpress.com

KOCHI: The State Government has received an alarming intelligence report from the Central Government that ration cards and driving licences issued heedlessly in the state are misused by terrorist and extremist group as identity proof to get important documents such as passport and PAN card.

Following the intimation, the State Government has alerted the Civil Supplies Department to be cautious in issuing the ration cards. A similar message was also passed on to the Motor Vehicle Department.

The Union Home Ministry has directed the State Government to ensure that the ration cards and driving licences are issued only after a detailed verification of the applicants’ address and antecedents. It was found on investigation that the documents were largely used by the anti-nationals as they were easily available.

‘‘Such documents are further used as address proof for creating Indian passports by the anti-national groups. They are also produced to prove their nationality as Indians,’’ the intelligence report reads.

Following the alert from the Special Secretary of the State Government, the offices of the Civil Supplies Director and State Transport Commissioner have issued strict directions to their subordinates at district headquarters to consider the matter with utmost seriousness.

‘‘The state intelligence was aware of the issue earlier,’’ said Jacob Punnose, Additional DGP Intelligence. He said that the matter was brought to the attention of the State Government and Union Government earlier.

The Intelligence Bureau for the last few years has been seriously concerned about the activities of the bogus ration card rackets. Pakisthani extremist Mohammed Fahad has obtained a fake passport from Kozhikode by producing such fake address proof.

Gangster Abu Salem had earlier fled the country using a passport in a fake name obtained through a fake ration card.

The hijackers of IC 814, in Kathmandu also obtained passports using fake ration cards. Three years ago the Karnataka and Maharashtra state governments carried out operations to weed out bogus ration cards.

Indications are that the bogus ration card racket has spread their networks in Kerala, and a major operation will have to be planned to curb their activities.