A 64-year-old US citizen was detained at Chennai International Airport on Friday night by immigration officials on suspicion of illegally voting in the recent state assembly elections. This marks the 18th foreign national intercepted at various airports across Tamil Nadu, all of whom have been handed over to local police.
Incident Details
The passenger, identified as Kishore, arrived at the airport to board an Emirates flight to Dubai, from where he was scheduled to continue to the United States. During routine immigration checks, officials noticed that his left index finger bore the indelible ink used to mark voters during elections.
Kishore told police that he cast his vote at the Virugambakkam constituency. Since he was traveling on a US passport and had acquired American citizenship, officials deemed the act a violation of election rules. Immigration authorities canceled his trip and initiated steps to hand him over to the Central Crime Branch police in Chennai for further action.
Background and Crackdown
The arrest comes amid an intensified crackdown on foreign citizens of Indian origin who allegedly participated illegally in the state assembly elections. This followed intelligence provided to the Election Commission of India. Subsequently, immigration authorities at airports, particularly in Chennai and Madurai, were instructed to closely inspect departing international passengers for indelible ink marks.
The state's chief electoral officer, Archana Patnaik, was not available for comment despite repeated attempts.
