A long-forgotten scandal has resurfaced following the recent arrest of Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Officer on Special Duty, Pellakur Krishnamohan Reddy, in the Andhra Pradesh liquor scam. New evidence connects Reddy—then Tahsildar of Kurnool—to the notorious 2001 forgery that enabled underworld figure Abu Salem and his partner, actress Monica Bedi, to obtain Indian passports under false identities.
Forgery at the Heart of the Passport Racket
On April 9, 2001, Krishnamohan Reddy signed a residence certificate declaring Monica Bedi to be “Sana Malik Kamal,” claiming she lived on Babu Gounda Street in Kurnool. Armed with this fraudulent document, Bedi secured her passport and fled later to Portugal alongside Abu Salem—one of the prime suspects in the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
Kurnool soon emerged as a nexus for passport forgeries. Initial police investigations in 2002 led to a Kurnool police case, but the matter quickly passed to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). During CBI questioning, Reddy asserted that he had merely acted on a field report submitted by then Revenue Inspector Mohammed Younis.
Oversight and Allegations Against Senior Officials
At the time, PSP Anjaneyulu served as the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Kurnool and reportedly cleared Bedi’s passport application based on field inspectors’ notes. His successor, SP N. Sanjay, came under fire in August 2002 when the passport fraud unspooled; critics argue Sanjay failed to rigorously pursue those who had already absconded abroad.
Both Anjaneyulu and Sanjay later faced their own legal troubles. Anjaneyulu is currently detained in connection with an unrelated high-profile case, while Sanjay—under suspension for alleged fund misuse during his tenure as CID head and Fire Department DG—remains under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Judicial Verdicts and Renewed Scrutiny
In the original trial, the court found Abu Salem, Monica Bedi, Revenue Inspector Mohammed Younis, and ASI Sattar guilty for their roles in the passport racket, handing down significant sentences. With Krishnamohan Reddy now jailed for the liquor scandal, attention has once again turned to this chapter of corruption and its lingering questions.
As Andhra Pradesh’s political circles buzz with this rekindled controversy, the 2001–2002 passport forgery saga underscores enduring challenges within administrative processes—and the ease with which official documents can be manipulated when checks and balances fail.
