Lankan fishing vessel seized in India

Marine Police of the Coastal Security Group in Tamil Nadu has seized a Sri Lankan fiberglass boat found ‘abandoned’ in the shallow waters off Vadakadu near Rameshwaran, even as ‘Q’ branch sleuths and local police launched an investigation about possible clandestine landing of Sri Lankan Tamils. On being alerted by local people, a Tamil Nadu Marine police team led by Additional Superintendent of Police Gnanasivakumar and comprising Inspector of Police P.S. Ramesh Kumar and Sub-Inspector of Police V.A. Jothi Basu seized the boat on Tuesday. The 18-foot-long fishing boat with 25 HP outboard engine appeared to have run aground in the rocky area, about 500 meters off the seashore, the Marine Police said. The boat bore a number, OFRP-A-1303 MNR, indicating that it was from Mannar region. “It doesn’t appear to be a case of drifting,” Superintendent of Police N.M. Mylvahanan said, adding preliminary investigation suggested that some people, suspected to be Lankan Tamils, arrived by the boat. After the boat ran aground, they should have walked to the shore, he added. The ‘fugitives’ should have landed on Monday night or in the early hours of Tuesday as the boat was not sighted till evening, police said. The Marine Police have kept the boat off Sangumal seashore. In April, the ‘Q’ branch police seized a similar Lankan boat found abandoned at Kannupalam seashore near Thangachimadam. In October 2014, a fiberglass boat from Talaimannar was found abandoned at the same spot. (The Hindu)