39 immigration officials found involved in corruption

Thirty-nine immigration officials, deployed at 13 international airports in the country, have allegedly been found involved in corrupt practices since 2010.
"Between 2010 and March 7 this year, 30 officials deployed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport here were found to be involved in corrupt practices, while four at Mumbai, two each at Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram and one at Amritsar," said Mullappally Ramachandran, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs while replying to a question in Lok Sabha.
In Delhi, two immigration officials were found to be involved in corrupt practices in 2010, 10 in 2011, 13 in 2012 and this year -- till March 7 -- five.

In Mumbai, one official in 2010, two in 2011 and one in 2012, in Kochi one each in 2011 and 2012 while in only one immigration official was found involved in in 2010 at Amritsar airport, the Minister said, adding two officials deployed at Thiruvananthapuram airport were found guilty in 2011.
He said stern disciplinary action has been taken against the corrupt officials.
Whenever any complaint is received, preliminary enquiry followed by departmental enquiry is conducted and if the complaint is found to be true, stern disciplinary action is taken against the defaulters and also entry made in to their ACR/APR, Ramachandran said.

Suspension orders are issued immediately on finding any immigration staff involved in corrupt practices and in some serious cases, defaulting officials were handed over to police, he said, adding in some cases where charges were not substantiated against the staff, they were removed from their duties.