Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jan 7: Ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, immigration officials at Mumbai International Airport have intercepted around 28 non-resident Indians (NRIs) over the past two months for allegedly possessing Indian voter identity cards despite holding foreign citizenship.
Immigration authorities seized the voter ID cards and informed the Election Commission of India (ECI), which has initiated the process to cancel the illegally obtained documents. Most of those intercepted were citizens of Canada, the United States, Nepal and Australia, officials said.
The BMC elections are scheduled to be held on January 15, with results to be announced on January 16. In view of the polls, immigration checks at Mumbai International Airport were intensified over the last two months.
An Immigration Department official told mid-day that teams were specifically instructed to verify documents of NRIs at immigration counters. “Foreign citizens are not eligible to vote in India. We have been alert about checking voter ID cards being carried by NRIs,” the official said.
According to officials, several individuals allegedly procured voter ID cards by submitting false declarations to the Election Commission. “Many of them have family members residing in India and visit frequently on long-term or visa-free arrangements. They used their relatives’ addresses and declared themselves as Indian residents to obtain voter IDs,” a source said.
Another official stated that passengers identified as NRIs were questioned and their documents verified in detail. “During these checks, around 28 Indian voter ID cards were seized from different passengers,” the official said.
Immigration authorities clarified that while foreign citizens of Indian origin may legally hold Aadhaar and PAN cards, they are not entitled to voter ID cards. “Some individuals were allegedly voting in their countries of citizenship while attempting to vote in India as well, which is a serious violation of electoral laws,” the source added.
Officials said the voter ID cards were detected during routine immigration screening. The confiscated cards and passenger details have been forwarded to the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) section and the Election Commission, following which the voter IDs will be formally cancelled.