Pune Passport Office Tightens Verification After Nilesh Ghaywal Case
Pune Passport Office Tightens Verification After Nilesh Ghaywal Case
Pune | February 10, 2026: Following the escape of notorious criminal Nilesh Ghaywal abroad, questions were raised over how he managed to obtain a passport, leading to criticism of the passport verification system. In response, the Pune Passport Office has taken a key decision to strengthen scrutiny, directing the police to conduct fresh and thorough verification of suspicious addresses in passport applications.
This was announced by Pune Regional Passport Officer Dr Vinod Gaikwad, who said that cases where police reports mention that “no person resides at the given address” will now undergo re-verification before any passport is issued.
Dr Gaikwad was speaking at the inauguration of a four-day special passport camp organised by the Pune Shramik Patrakar Sangh for its members and their families for new passport applications and renewals. The event was attended by Deputy Passport Officer Srishti Pandey, Sangh President Brijmohan Patil, General Secretary Mangesh Phalle, Treasurer Dilip Tayde, along with Ashish Deshmukh, Dattatray Adhagle, and Passport Office Public Relations Officer Jatin Pote.
During the camp, passport processing for journalists and their families will be completed within four days. An interactive session was also held with Dr Gaikwad, where he shared his experiences as an ambassador in Russia, Kuwait and France, discussed changing government policies, and spoke about the global image of Indians abroad. Journalists raised several issues during the question-and-answer session.
Dr Gaikwad clearly stated that strict action will be taken against applicants submitting fake documents, false addresses or incorrect information, and criminal cases will be registered against violators.
He also said that the use of e-passports will increase significantly in the coming years, and that by 2035, all passports in India will be converted into e-passports, making the transition to digital passports visible in the near future.
The Pune Passport Office has reiterated its commitment to strengthening verification systems and ensuring transparency and security in the passport issuance process.
