Bail petitions of 4 involved in fake passport racket dismissed

: Bail petitions of four persons, including three Sri Lankan Tamils, arrested and lodged at Puzhal prison here in connection with a recent fake passport racket, were dismissed by a court today.
Principal Sessions Court Judge N Authinathan rejected the petitions, saying the investigation is at the preliminary stage.
City Public Prosecutor M L Jagan who opposed enlarging the accused on bail, contended that six persons, including five Sri Lankan Tamils, were arrested near Egmore railway station here on June 23 following an alert from Interpol and were later detained at Puzhal prison.
Krishamoorthy, kingpin of the racket, who was one among the arrested, used to send Sri Lankan Tamils to various countries, including Australia and Canada using fake visas and fake Indian passports over the years. The four petitoners had collected between Rs four to Rs six lakh from each Sri Lankan Tamil for sending them abroad, the CPP said.

He submitted that they had committed a crime against the country and noted that police had alerted the respective embassies about Sri Lankan Tamils who had left the country using fake documents.
He also submitted that police were yet to receive information about the same and prayed that their petitions should therefore be rejected.
Meanwhile another accused, Sivarangan moved the Madras High Court for bail.