Consulate sends out wrong passport

26 Feb 2007

Dubai: The Indian consulate has apologised for a goof-up that could have cost a man dear after his passport ended up with another.

The relief of getting his passport delivered to him after renewal was short-lived when Kihakkethil Ali Kutty Abdul Kather, 51, an Indian driver, saw the new machine readable passport book was not his.

The new passport delivered to him belonged to a fellow Indian from the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Relieved

Kather took up the matter with the Indian consulate yesterday and got hold of his own renewed passport book.

The Indian consulate when contacted said the goof-up happened due to human error.

Kather, who had applied for renewal of passport with the Indian consulate about 45 days back, said: "The passport was hand-delivered by Empost to my company.

"I was glad to have received it since my residence visa was also up for renewal. The new passport booklet came attached to my old booklet as it had my residence visa pasted in it."

But the new passport belonged to another man.

Apology

"How could the consulate make such a goof-up? I wondered whether my passport was dispatched to another individual. I was scared that my passport has fallen in the wrong hands."

Kather approached the consulate yesterday and informed them of the goof-up.

"They apologised to me for causing the inconvenience.

"I was made to wait for more than an hour before I got my own renewed passport booklet.

"My passport was sent to another person and I was given his."