Multiple official papers have disappeared from the Department of Home Affairs located on Umgeni Road in Durban, sparking concerns that these documents could end up being misused for unlawful activities.
The problem was revealed when DUT student Anvir Chunilall went to retrieve his passport two weeks ago, but he was informed that the document had gone missing. Chunilall informed the Independent on Saturday that although he got a message to fetch the document in February, he chose to wait until his mother received her notice to get her passport and ID, so they could make the trip together.
"After standing in line, I finally reached the counter, but when they started looking for my 2024 passport, they couldn’t locate it. At that moment, I wasn't aware it had been stolen; I assumed perhaps they had mislaid it or similar," Chunilall recounted.
Her mother's passport could be picked up there.
He was subsequently instructed to talk to a supervisor, who informed him that his passport, together with many others, had vanished. "She informed me that both my passport and a bunch of others were taken from their property. This information really surprised me and raised doubts about the security measures at their location. I found it concerning that something so crucial could be stolen," he stated.
As per his statement, the supervisor, whose identity is familiar to the Independent on Saturday, provided him with her email along with another official's contact information for continuous communication. Additionally, she committed to sending him an email containing specifics about the case report; however, he hasn’t gotten it yet.
Chunilall learned that all the information about the stolen passports would be recorded in the international police database, Interpol, ensuring that if we were involved, they would know. If detected by anyone, it would "trigger an alert," and the individual possessing it would be prohibited from traveling.
“What was more alarming was the fact that they didn't email me or give me any type of information beforehand to say that it was stolen. Maybe they wanted the people whose passports were stolen to go to them first, in which case they would get some sort of confirmation.”
He said the way the matter was handled raised many questions, like where in the process the documents were stolen.
Chunilall was given the option of going through the whole process of applying and paying for a passport again, or he could wait for the investigation into the matter to be completed and then receive assistance from the Department of Home Affairs without having to pay.
He said the only thing that put him at ease was that Interpol would be alerted if his passport was used. “It's very alarming because anyone can be using my name or my identity, but the good thing is that nothing was tied back to a physical address.”
Despite multiple attempts to get a comment from the Department of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Police this week, no response was received by the time of publication.
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