The Indian immigration agencies have been on high alert since the August 15th incident as they fear fake passports will be forged using Indian visas. That’s why the Indian government has invalidated all existing visas, and mandatory e-visas have been introduced.
Security has gone up to red alert within Indian immigration agencies after several unidentified Urdu-speaking subjects forced their way into an office in Kabul handling Indian visas for distribution by the Indian missions in Afghanistan and seized an unknown number of Afghan passports stamped with Indian visas. As US forces beat a hasty retreat from Kabul, the Taliban captured Kabul on August 15.
The Indian immigration agencies have been informed of this seizure of Afghan passports with Indian visas as there is serious concern that these documents may be used to fabricate fake passports for terrorists in the future. There is no indication which group could have been behind the attack on the Indian visa outsourcing agency in Kabul, but the needle of suspicion points towards Pakistan since the intruders spoke Urdu. According to a source from Kabul, Afghan passports with Indian visas could be used to fabricate passports for terrorists by changing the photograph on the document. In response to the incident, Raisina Hill and security agencies are tight-lipped.
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Afghanistan’s capital city, Kabul, is now under the control of shadowy groups as large-scale searches are being conducted in the wake of its capture by the Taliban. As reported, these groups have been seizing passports and other travel documents from travel agencies in Kabul and the owners of those agencies.
In India, the Home Ministry was already on alert when the evacuation exercise was begun by the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of National Security on August 16. Passengers were screened for their pasts and travel documents on that date. From its end, the Indian mission in Kabul is combing its records to extract names of Afghans who received Indian visas and are to be distributed by the outsourcing firm. In order to cancel the Indian visas, the data is being searched and names are being identified.
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