By SOMAN BABY

A TOTAL of 878 passports of Indian nationals are lying unclaimed at the Indian Embassy, it was revealed yesterday. The passports were handed over to the embassy by sponsors after the general amnesty was launched in August last year.

Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty yesterday appealed to owners of these passports to collect them before July 31.

“After this date, these passports will be sent back to the passport offices in India where they were issued,” he told the GDN.

Following appeals made by government authorities, sponsors returned 3,116 Indian passports to the embassy from August 1 last year to June 12.

“Out of these, 2,238 passports were collected by their owners from the embassy,” said Mr Shetty.

“The number and details of the remaining passports are displayed on the embassy notice board.

“People who think their passports might have been handed over by their employers to the embassy should check the embassy notice board.

“Some people may think it is safe to keep the passports under the embassy’s custody. But the embassy cannot hold the passports indefinitely.

“If people fail to turn up to collect them before July 31, it will be difficult for them to get a new passport.

“If they report with some proof of their identity now, they will be given all co-operation to extend the validity of their passports, if required.”

Mr Shetty said the passports of those who have left on outpasses during the amnesty have already been cancelled.

“We suspect that some people who fail to collect their passports from the embassy may be holding a second passport,” he noted.

“This is a serious offence. If proved, they may face serious consequences.”