Authorities here have initiated action against at least 50 persons who were caught possessing fake movement passes, amid the COVID19 lockdown.
An official said some of the passes were scanned copies ofthe original passes issued by the competent authority.
“People caught with these fake passes had tampered with thenames and other details of the original passes issued by the competentauthorities,” said the official.
In some cases, the official said, some persons hadthemselves fabricated movement passes with forged seal and signatures of theauthorities concerned.
Deputy commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Choudharysaid the administration has taken serious note of these offences.
“We have issued passes to different categories of employeesin colour coding. The red cololur passes have been issued to doctors withinstruction to authorities in the field to make passage of doctors easier,” theDC said.
He said in some cases they found people carrying red colourmovement passes, but they were neither doctors nor members of paramedicalstaff.
The DC said it was subject to the probe whether these passeswere issued by any miscreant or the pass holders have themselves allowed theirmisuse.
The DC said movement passes were issued to ensure peopleengaged in essential services do not face any hurdle while reaching to theirwork places.
He said there were also some cases where a person washolding a genuine movement passes but “violated its terms and conditions.”
Citing an instance, he said a person residing in PanthaChowk was issued movement pass to travel to his office at Nishat.
“He was, however, found travelling in Fateh Kadal, thusmisusing the pass,” the DC said, adding, “The passes of such persons werecancelled.”
In Safa Kadal, at least eight First Information Reports(FIRs) have been registered against the violators.
During a surprise check, the DC caught a man possessing afake movement pass. In a short clip video, the DC could be seen asking the manwho issued the pass to him.
In response, the man says he got it from a “man who works inDC’s office.”
“I am the DC and it is not my signature. It is neither thesignature of any other officer. You tell me who issued you this pass. This isforgery,” the DC asks the man.
The DC said in some cases people were carrying movementpasses which had been issued to them in 2016 or 2019.
“We have also seized around 150 vehicles after the ownerswere found violating the lockdown orders,” he said.