Ten Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, including five children, who arrived illegally by two boats, were arrested at Arichal Munai off Dhanuskodi coast and brought here today, police said.
This is the first time that a batch of refugees are arriving from Sri Lanka after the Lankan forces defeated the LTTE in 2009, officials said.
They were arrested for entering Indian territory without passport, police said.In fact they got down from the boats at the Arichal Munai sand dune and were swimming towards the coast when they were nabbed.
They are being questioned, police said.
The refugees told police that they had come from Mullai Theevu after paying Rs 80,000 for each boat.