CHENNAI: Three foreign nationals were arrested in Chennai for allegedly obtaining Indian passports using fake documents. The three — Mohammed Kasim Pathan (41) of Bangladesh, Sangupillai Sarojini Devi (58) of Sri Lanka, and Dhanraj Pokhriyal (40) of Nepal— were arrested by the Central Crime Branch based on a complaint from the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer at Chennai International Airport on Tuesday.
The police said four Indian nationals - Bina Das (54) of Odisha, Ramamurthy (44) of Nagapattinam, Chennamma (45) of Andhra Pradesh, and Barkathullah (59) Sivaganga - were also detained for aiding the trio. A probe is on to trace the travel agents involved in the case.
According to police, investigations revealed that the four foreign nationals concealed their true identities, used forged Indian documents such as Aadhaar, voter ID, and PAN cards to secure Indian passports in order to be able to travel abroad. They were remanded in judicial custody on Thursday.