Authorities in Tamil Nadu detain and arrest foreign nationals over allegations of illegal voting in the April 23 Assembly election. Multiple outlets report that the Election Commission orders a probe into the matter after police submitted a report following detentions at airports. According to police statements cited by the reports, airport staff noticed indelible ink on the index fingers of the individuals as they attempted to board flights, leading to alerting of police and subsequent detention.
Chennai police state that around 10 foreign nationals were arrested in nine cases and were detained at Chennai and Madurai airports. Police inquiry reportedly identifies the foreign nationals as coming from Sri Lanka as well as the UK and Canada, among others. The accused are described as holding foreign passports and being found with indelible ink, suggesting they allegedly participated in voting. Authorities also say the individuals used fraudulent Indian identity documents to cast their votes.
The police Central Crime Branch registers cases and carries out an investigation, while the Election Commission conducts its inquiry based on the police report and the allegations. The reports characterize the incidents as alleged attempts to vote using improper or fraudulent documentation.
