Chennai, 16 May

The Election Commission has ordered a probe into the allegations of foreign nationals "deceitfully" voting in the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, an official said on Saturday.

The EC's action follows a report submitted by the police recently after they arrested ten foreign nationals who attempted to board a flight. The airport officials became suspicious when they noticed indelible ink on their index fingers and alerted the police.

The Chennai police said ten foreign nationals were arrested in nine cases for allegedly casting votes in the Tamil Nadu 2026 Assembly polls. They were detained at the Chennai and Madurai airports. Police enquiry revealed that these nationals were from Sri Lanka, the UK and Canada.

"They had used fraudulent Indian ID documents to cast the votes. The indelible ink was noticed on their fingers when they attempted to fly out," the police official said.

The police Central Crime Branch registered cases and is probing, the official said and added that as per EC rules, an overseas elector must be a citizen of India who has not acquired citizenship in any other country. Those who have renounced Indian citizenship are barred from voting.

Non-Resident Indians can register to vote under Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act, and they are required to produce their original Indian passport at the polling booth, he added.