LUCKNOW, July 16 -- In a crackdown on forged cross-border permits being used by private buses operating between India and Nepal, the Uttar Pradesh transport department has unearthed a racket involving fake documents allegedly issued by regional transport authorities, officials said.

The state government has initiated criminal action in at least three districts and requested a high-level probe by the Special Task Force (STF).

Transport commissioner Brajesh Narain Singh has written to the director general of police (DGP), seeking a coordinated investigation, while also alerting the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) and requesting urgent technical reforms to prevent further misuse of the permit system.

The forgery firs...