18 hours ago
Coast Guard nabs 3 Lankans off Dhanushkodi
Rameswaram: The
(ICG) on Saturday morning apprehended three Sri Lankan nationals, including one Lankan Tamil and two Sinhalese, while trying to illegally enter India through the 4th sand dune area near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) off Dhanushkodi coast in Ramanathapuram district.
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Officials said the Coast Guard's air-cushion vehicle (ACV H-197) was on routine surveillance when its crew noticed the three. They were apprehended by 9am, brought ashore at Arichalmunai, and handed over to Marine Police.
The detained people were S Kabilan, 34, a Sri Lankan Tamil from Mullaitivu, and two Sinhalese men — Mathivilagu Asutha Gunathilaga, 33, and Sumithrolan Fernando,43, from Negombo. The trio said they set off from the Mannar coast the previous night, to infiltrate Tamil Nadu via sea.
Sources said the three had no valid documents permitting entry into India and are suspected to have paid agents to facilitate the illegal transit. No contraband or weapons were found in their possession, but probe is on for possible links to smuggling or organised networks operating across the Palk Strait.
Mandapam Marine Police and state police officials are coordinating with central intelligence agencies to ascertain the motive behind the illegal entry, as the three are alleged to have a criminal background.
