In a major bust at Chennai International Airport, three foreign nationals were arrested while attempting to travel abroad using Indian passports obtained through forged documents. The suspects — identified as Mohammed Kasim Pathan (41) from Bangladesh, Sangupillai Sarojini Devi (58) from Sri Lanka, and Dhanraj Pokhriyal (40) from Nepal — were stopped by immigration officials after discrepancies were found in their travel documents.
Following their detention, they were handed over to the Chennai Police’s Fake Passport Investigation Unit under the Central Crime Branch (CCB). The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) had earlier filed a complaint, triggering the investigation.
Authorities revealed that the trio had managed to fraudulently secure Aadhaar, voter ID, and PAN cards by concealing their nationalities. These forged identity documents were then used to obtain Indian passports, which they tried to use for international travel.
The investigation further uncovered the involvement of four Indian nationals who assisted in the scam:
Bina Das (54) from Odisha
Ramamurthy (44) from Nagapattinam
Chennamma (45) from Andhra Pradesh
Parakatullah (59) from Sivaganga
The three foreign nationals were remanded to judicial custody after being produced before the Alandur judicial magistrate court. Meanwhile, police have launched a manhunt for the agents and accomplices behind the document forgery network.
Authorities continue to investigate the broader reach of the scam, suspecting an organized racket facilitating illegal passports and identities.
