At least 17 foreign passport holders, including a woman, have been detained by immigration authorities in Tamil Nadu on suspicion of illegally voting in the recently concluded Assembly elections using forged documents, officials said, as per a Times of India report.
Fifteen individuals were intercepted at Chennai International Airport over the past few days while attempting to travel back to countries including Canada, Sri Lanka and Australia. Two others were detained separately at Madurai airport.
According to officials, the passengers came under suspicion during routine immigration screening after officers noticed indelible ink marks on their fingers, typically used to identify voters who have cast their ballots during Indian elections.
The immigration department subsequently alerted local police authorities, following which the detained individuals were handed over to the respective crime branches of the Tamil Nadu Police for further questioning.
Preliminary investigations are reportedly focusing on whether the foreign nationals had fraudulently obtained voter identification documents or other supporting records enabling them to participate in the Assembly polls.
The Chennai Police have launched a detailed probe into the matter. Authorities are also expected to examine possible document forgery networks and determine whether local facilitators were involved in securing electoral credentials for the detained individuals.
Officials have not yet disclosed the identities of those detained or clarified whether any arrests have formally been made in connection with the case.
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