2 weeks ago
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About 25 overseas nationals person been arrested oregon detained truthful acold for allegedly casting votes with fraudulently obtained individuality documents successful the caller Tamil Nadu Assembly election, constabulary sources confirmed connected Thursday.
The accused persons, carrying overseas passports, were intercepted by officials of the Bureau of Immigration and detained by the section constabulary aft indelible ink (the people of a formed ballot) was recovered connected their scale fingers. The cognition that started astir a week agone is continuing.
Action initiated
Legal proceedings nether the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and different laws were initiated against them.
Investigators said a bulk of the suspects were Sri Lankan nationals, though the radical included British and Canadian citizens. Many much overseas nationals who arrived during the predetermination clip could person exercised their franchise and stayed back, knowing that the constabulary were verifying their credentials during departure astatine airports. Acting connected quality that immoderate foreigners were attempting to permission the state aft voting, the instrumentality enforcement agencies alerted officials astatine the Chennai, Madurai, and different airports.
Discreet inquiries
“We conducted discreet inquiries and alerted the authorities who detained 25 to 30 persons arsenic they prepared to committee flights,” a elder authoritative told The Hindu on Thursday.
A antheral of Indian origin, who obtained a British passport successful 2015, allegedly voted successful the Pattukottai Assembly constituency. He was detained astatine the Chennai International Airport portion attempting to committee a formation to London.
The probe revealed that respective of the foreigners arrived successful the State soon aft the predetermination was notified. Some mightiness person stayed backmost for the indelible ink to disappear. Digital records and different investigative means could inactive verify their information successful the election, said an authoritative who did not privation to beryllium quoted.
Most of the detentions occurred successful Chennai, though 2 overseas nationals were identified arsenic having voted successful the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Report submitted to ECI
Asked astir the imaginable interaction connected the predetermination result, the authoritative declined to remark and said a broad study had been submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI). There could beryllium galore much overseas nationals who formed their votes and were yet to permission India. Investigation was nether mode to analyse the details of foreigners who arrived successful India earlier the time of polling and were yet to leave, the authoritative said.
In 2025, migration officials requested the ECI to region astir 100 names of foreigners of Indian root from the electoral rolls. During the scrutiny of documents, they recovered that the overseas nationals were successful possession of electors photograph individuality cards (EPICs). “This twelvemonth too, the names of 60 foreigners were removed from the rolls. All these persons had overseas citizenship and fraudulent code claims for voting rights successful India,” said an authoritative coordinating with the ECI.
Under ECI rules, an ‘overseas elector’ indispensable beryllium a national of India who has not acquired citizenship successful immoderate different country. While Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) tin registry themselves to ballot nether Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act, they are required to nutrient an archetypal Indian passport astatine the polling booth. Those who person renounced Indian citizenship are barred from voting.
