RAMANATHAPURAM: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) patrol unit apprehended three Sri lankan fishermen, who were stranded in Indian waters off the coast of Kodiyakarai on Tuesday.
ICG sources said in the wee hours of Tuesday, ICG ship Ayush was patrolling the Palk Strait area. The ship sighted a Lankan boat anchored in Indian waters with three crew members on board. The ICG apprehended the crew members and seized the boat.
The Lankan crew informed that the boat had set sail from Jaffna on 14 June and drifted into Indian waters due to engine failure. The three on board were Sri Lankan nationals, who were later identified as Niroshan (34) of Colombo, and Bala Ramesh (37) and Puyal Kumar (44) of Jaffna.
The apprehended Sri Lankan boat was brought to Mandapam harbour by Ayush. The fishermen and the boat were handed over to the Tamil Nadu Coastal Security Group on Tuesday, for further legal proceedings.
Local sources claimed that the trio had arrived here, while attempting to smuggle contraband from India to Sri Lanka. They faced mechanical issues in the boat, which left them stranded mid-sea.
Senior officials attached with the marine police said the men did not possess any contraband. On Tuesday, a case was booked under the Passport Act and Foreigners Act for violating the IMBL, they said.