Thiruvananthapuram: The state capital has been rocked by a passport fraud case that has raised concerns about national security. 

A cop, identified as CPO Ansil Azees of Thumba station, was suspended in connection with the incident. Under Azees's direction, passports were illegally issued to numerous ineligible individuals using deceptive methods.

An individual named Kamalesh, a native of Manakkad, created and distributed fake identity cards. He has been taken into police custody.

With the fraud coming to light, all passport verifications conducted by Azees are likely to be reviewed. 

People who did not possess the required documents and those with criminal backgrounds are known to have secured their passports via the group.

Azees, who is in charge of passport verification at the Thumba police station, helped ineligible individuals secure their passports by using fake IDs made available by Kamalesh.

Kamalesh often used details of dead people to prepare the fake cards, which often looked more ‘original’ than the real ones. 

The police are questioning several individuals in connection with the case. As of now, it is known that Azees has cleared the passports of 13 people, and they are under scanner now.