A Sri Lankan national belonging to the Tamil ethnic community was detained at the Mandapam camp in Ramanathapuram district on Sunday after he entered India clandestinely fleeing from the economic crisis-ridden Island nation.
The 24-year-old man has been identified as Hassan Khan hailing from Mannar in Sri Lanka. Speaking to the interrogators after being caught, he said he had jumped off an illegal boat after the Sri Lankan Navy opened fire and swam across the Palk Bay for seven nautical miles to reach Dhanushkodi, the last sea point of India.
Khan had set sail along with five others on a boat and when the Navy opened fire, he feared for his life and jumped off into the sea to flee.
"Local fishermen found him struggling in the high seas and informed the Marine Police, who picked him up and detained him at Mandapam for questioning," a police officer said.
Incidentally, the family of five that had managed to continue their boat journey after Khan jumped off, had reached the shore on Friday itself and was unaware of his fate.
