CHENNAI: The fake passport wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Chennai arrested six travel agents on Monday for allegedly forging Aadhaar cards to obtain Indian passports illegally.

The incident was uncovered in August when immigration officials at Chennai airport identified passengers carrying fake Indian passports obtained with forged documents. Based on a complaint from the immigration officials, the police started an inquiry.

A police team conducted raids at various travel offices on Saturday across Tamil Nadu, confiscating a laptop, two computers, six mobile phones, 54 passports, and written agreements between agents and applicants.

The arrested agents were identified as P Satish Kumar (46), A Kalyan (40), Nalla Mohammad (60), Nasar Ali (47), Faisal Rahman (29), and B Kumar (48).

The agents ran travel offices in Madurai, Devakottai, and surrounding areas. They targeted deported individuals who were denied visas and jobs abroad due to age restrictions, charging them large sums with false promises of securing new passports, visas, and jobs.