Kanhangad: Kerala native Sreenivasan will no longer be stopped at the airport or have his passport seized by immigration authorities, as the Kozhikode Passport Office has returned the document along with a police clearance certificate.

His trip to Dubai had earlier been blocked by the authorities due to a lapse by the police officer who prepared the passport verification report and a lack of scrutiny at the passport office. The error led to Sreenivasan, a resident of Kolathingal in Arayi near Kanhangad, being wrongly prevented from travelling abroad.

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The incident came to light after Mathrubhumi published an article detailing the difficulties faced by him.

According to the report, an incorrect investigation note filed during the police verification process resulted in adverse remarks being reflected in the passport system. Although Sreenivasan had addressed all concerns related to his passport and police clearance certificate, the updated report was not recorded in the Passport Office database.

As a result, immigration authorities stopped him at Mumbai airport on January 15 and sent him back, despite his valid visa. His Dubai visa remains valid until March 7.

In a separate instance, Sreenivasan, who departed from Kannur airport for Dubai, was again prevented from travelling due to the unresolved passport system error.

Sreenivasan had visited the Kozhikode Passport Office six times to rectify the error related to his name and police verification record. He incurred losses of nearly Rs 50,000 on two occasions after purchasing flight tickets for his Dubai travel, only to be denied departure at the last minute.

The delay was attributed to negligence during the passport police verification process and a lack of timely updating of records in the immigration and passport database system.

With the passport verification error now rectified and immigration clearance updated in the system, Sreenivasan is preparing to travel to Dubai at the earliest opportunity.