10 Foreigners Arrested for Voting in Tamil Nadu Elections; Indelible Ink Marks Reveal Fraud at Airport

Immigration authorities in Tamil Nadu have arrested at least 10 foreign nationals, most of them Sri Lankan citizens, for allegedly voting in last month’s Assembly elections despite holding foreign passports. The arrests were made at airports in Chennai and Madurai during routine immigration checks. The incident has triggered fresh concerns about the integrity of voter verification mechanisms in the state, especially following the recently concluded special intensive revision of electoral rolls conducted ahead of the elections.

Officials said the arrests came after immigration officers noticed indelible ink marks on the index fingers of passengers preparing to board international flights. The ink marks, commonly used during Indian elections to indicate that a person has voted, reportedly raised suspicion among officers conducting pre-departure screening. Authorities subsequently questioned the passengers and discovered that several of them were traveling on foreign passports while allegedly possessing voter identity cards issued by the Election Commission of India.

Among those arrested were Sri Lankan nationals identified as Ranjini, Sarfudeen, Nilanthi, Jeyanthan, Charlie Balachandran, Chakravarthy Logapriya, and Sunitha Chakravarthy. Officials also confirmed the detention of individuals holding passports from the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Canada. Immigration authorities said possessing Indian voter identity documents while traveling as foreign nationals violates Indian law. Investigators are now examining whether the accused actually cast votes in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and how the voter documents were originally obtained.

Also Read: Mamata Banerjee Raises Allegations Against EC After BJP’s Bengal Victory

Authorities said the first arrest in the case was made earlier this week, though officials have not yet publicly confirmed the final number of detainees involved in the investigation. Senior immigration officers indicated that inquiries are ongoing and may expand further if evidence suggests the involvement of additional foreign nationals. Officials are also examining whether organized networks or procedural lapses enabled the alleged fraudulent enrollment of foreign citizens into electoral rolls maintained by state election authorities.

The controversy has drawn significant attention because it comes shortly after Tamil Nadu completed a large-scale revision of its voter database before the Assembly elections. The revision process aimed to remove names of deceased individuals and people who had permanently relocated while adding newly eligible voters. According to official figures, nearly 74 lakh names were deleted during the exercise, while approximately 27.5 lakh new voters were added. The latest arrests have therefore raised questions about whether verification procedures were sufficiently robust to detect ineligible registrations.

Investigators are now reviewing travel records, voter registration details, and polling data to determine the extent of the alleged violations and whether a broader pattern exists. The case has gained additional political sensitivity because the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections marked a major shift in the state’s political landscape after decades dominated by Dravidian parties. Immigration authorities and election officials are expected to share findings with central agencies as the probe widens, while opposition parties and political observers continue to demand clarity on how foreign-passport holders allegedly remained on the voter rolls.

Also Read: Gyanesh Kumar Says EC Will Ensure Transparent, Fear-Free Polls In Bengal