Immigration officials at Trichy International Airport have apprehended four passengers over the past two days for using fraudulently obtained passports.
In the latest incident, M. Murugaiyan, 34, from Thanjavur district, was arrested late Saturday upon arriving from Kuwait on an Air India Express flight. Assistant immigration officer Gomathi became suspicious of his passport. Verification revealed that Murugaiyan had altered his name, date of birth, and address using fake documents. He was subsequently handed over to the Trichy Airport police and charged under the Passports Act, 1976.
On Friday, three other passengers were also arrested for similar offenses. M. Ammasi, 50, from Nagappattinam district, arrived from Kuala Lumpur on an AirAsia flight with a passport that contained a false name and address. Another passenger on the same flight, S. Ubaiyadullah, 55, from Trichy, was found using a passport with altered personal details.
In a separate incident, A. Ganesan, 49, from Pudukkottai district, was apprehended after arriving from Singapore on a Scoot Airlines flight. He had also secured his passport by falsifying his details.
All four individuals have been charged under the Passports Act, with separate cases filed by the Airport Police. This incident underscores the growing concern regarding immigration fraud at airports.