‘Q’ Branch police have apprehended a Sri Lankan Tamil, one of the two persons who escaped on Wednesday night when the Customs Preventive Unit intercepted and seized their fibreglass plastic boat near the second island in the Gulf of Mannar region.
Police sources said that the Lankan Tamil, E. Edward Prince Alphonse (40) of Talaimannar, was moving around in a suspicious manner near Kunthukal coastal village. A ‘Q’ Branch team, on being alerted by a source, detained him in the early hours of Friday.
After an enquiry, the ‘Q’ Branch police handed him over to Thangachimadam police and he was arrested under Section 3 (a), read with 6 (a), of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950, and Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. He was produced before a magistrate court, and remanded in judicial custody in Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai.
During interrogation, he had told the ‘Q’ Branch police that he and his colleague S. Desmanth (20) had set out for fishing on the evening of April 13 from Talaimannar and drifted into Indian waters. When they reached the second island, they sighted a ‘vallam’ and signalled it to come closer by flashing a torch.
However, when they found that Customs officials were in the ‘vallam’ and they threatened to open fire, both of them jumped into the sea to escape, he said.
While Desmanth swam and escaped, he was caught by the Customs personnel. After reaching the shore, the officials moved away after sighting another boat, and he gave a slip, he said.
Currency notes
He could not give a convincing reply about the possession of 49,500 Sri Lankan currency notes, the sources said, adding the duo could have arrived to smuggle narcotics or clandestinely drop a Lankan Tamil on payment of money. As Desmanth was good in swimming, he could have returned to Talaimannar, the sources said quoting the accused.
