SENSEX
NIFTY
GOLD
USD/INR

Weather

image 23    C

World News

News

World / The New Indian Express

details

Enforcement Directorate: Voter ID of Lankan in custody active

CHENNAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alerted the state chief electoral officer (CEO) that a Sri Lankan national currently in judicial custody in an NIA case linked to alleged LTTE revival efforts still holds an active Indian voter ID registered in Chennai. The agency has sought an immediate verification and cancellation of the card, calling it a national-security lapse. In a letter dated November 21, 2025, the ED said the accused, Letchumanan Mary Franciska, had fraudulently secured multiple Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar, PAN, a ration-linked rental agreement, and an Indian passport, despite being a foreign national. Her voter ID continues to remain active in the Virugambakkam Assembly constituency. Franciska was intercepted at Chennai airport in 2021 for travelling on a forged Indian passport. Investigations by Q Branch and later by the NIA found she had overstayed after arriving on an e-tourist visa in 2019, and had allegedly acted on instructions from Denmark-based LTTE operative Umakanthan. She is accused of attempting to claim `42.28 crore from a Mumbai bank account by posing as a legal heir. The enforcement directorate has asked the election commission to check whether the card was used to cast votes and to remove the entry from the rolls. The communication has also been forwarded to the ECI and senior officials of the agency.

26 Nov 2025 10:24 am