A woman and her daughter from Sri Lanka were taken into custody for entering India with counterfeit Indian passports. 

The arrest took place during routine verification of travel documents by immigration officials at the airport, following the arrival of a flight from Colombo.

The two women — aged 48 and 21 — claimed Indian nationality and carried passports that listed a residential address in Chennai. 

Their travel records indicated a recent visit to Sri Lanka on a tourist visa. However, inconsistencies in their documents raised red flags, prompting the officers to detain them for additional scrutiny.

On closer interrogation, it was confirmed that both the mother and daughter were originally Sri Lankan citizens. 

They had been residing unlawfully in Chennai for several years without legal permission.

Authorities found that during their illegal stay, the duo had acquired fake identity documents and managed to get Indian passports through forged paperwork.

Investigators believe the women had earlier entered India under tourist status and later manipulated documents to assume Indian identities.

Both were arrested at the airport and subsequently transferred to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Chennai for further investigation.

The CCB is now working to uncover the network or individuals responsible for assisting the pair in obtaining fraudulent Indian documents.

The case has raised serious concerns about the ease with which fake identities are being created and used for international travel.

Source: News Karnataka
--Agencies