Sri Lankan national and three others held for illegal entry attempt
Ramanathapuram police apprehended a Sri Lankan man and three Tamil Nadu residents after they arrived in a country boat.
Ramanathapuram Q Branch police and Mandapam Marine Police apprehended a Sri Lankan national and three people from Tamil Nadu in the early hours of Wednesday. According to The Times of India, the group was intercepted near the Kundukal Arch area around 2am as a green and purple-coloured country boat approached the shore.
Police arrested 20-year-old Kaniston, a Sri Lankan national from Vavuniya district, along with Dushyanthan, 32, of Dindigul; Kevin Raj, 33, of Ramanathapuram; and Polak, 26, of Ramanathapuram. Three other suspects, identified as Robert, 40, of Kudhukaal Kuzhanthai Yesu Nagar, Dinesh, 33, of Pamban, and an unidentified person, managed to flee.
During interrogation, Kaniston told investigators that his elder brother Dushyanthan had travelled to India legally in 2012 and lives in Viruppatchi village in Dindigul district. Kaniston stated he decided to move to India because he was not on good terms with his sister, who lives in Sri Lanka.
Kaniston allegedly said he could not obtain a valid passport to travel by air because he has a pending legal case in Sri Lanka. He claimed he sought help from a Sri Lankan contact, Danish Ahmed of Mannar, to facilitate his entry.
Investigators said Dushyanthan paid Rs40,000 as boat charges to bring Kaniston to India. It is suspected that Danish Ahmed coordinated with Kevin Raj to arrange the boat, and that Kevin Raj was assisted by Polak.
Police have launched a search to trace the three absconding suspects. Further investigation is underway to determine if the accused were involved in a larger network facilitating the illegal movement of persons between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu.