RAMANATHAPURAM: Two fishermen from Sri Lanka were detained by the Indian Coast Guard after they allegedly crossed into Indian waters in a plastic boat near Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district.
Coast Guard personnel on patrol near the Ariyaman sea area off Uchipuli spotted a plastic boat stationary in mid-sea and intercepted it. Two men were found on board and were detained at gunpoint for questioning.
During interrogation, the men identified themselves as Thangarasa Amalraj (42) and Selvaraja (30) from Kankesanthurai in Jaffna district, Sri Lanka.
They told officials that they had left Kankesanthurai on February 28 in the plastic boat for fishing. However, the boat’s engine developed a fault while they were retrieving fishing nets at sea.
The fishermen said they had been stranded at sea for nearly five days, drifting due to sea currents and strong winds before inadvertently entering Indian waters.
A search of the boat by the Coast Guard revealed that it contained only the engine and no other materials.
The two fishermen were taken to the Indian Coast Guard station in Mandapam and later handed over to the Mandapam coastal police station.
Officials from the Coast Guard, central and State intelligence agencies, and coastal police questioned the fishermen.
Police said further investigation is under way to determine whether the men had entered Indian waters accidentally due to engine failure or for any other purpose, including possible smuggling.
Meanwhile, officials noted that a complaint had reportedly been filed at the Kankesanthurai fisheries office in Sri Lanka, stating that the two fishermen who had gone to sea on February 28 had not returned to shore as expected on March 1.