13 Sri Lankans held after return from India over suspected illegal activity links

Thirteen Sri Lankan nationals, including a woman, were arrested after being sent back from India following an unsuccessful attempt to enter the country by passenger ferry, Sri Lankan police said on Monday.

The 13, all of whom hold Sri Lankan passports, had travelled from Kankesanthurai in northern Sri Lanka to Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu on September 5 along with around 100 other passengers. However, Indian immigration authorities at Nagapattinam port denied them entry and they were subsequently sent back to Sri Lanka, where police took them into custody.

Police said the 13 individuals, including the 36-year-old woman, are unemployed. Investigators are questioning them to determine whether they have any links to illegal activities. They are expected to be produced before a court on Monday.

The arrests come as authorities continue to closely monitor passenger movement along the India-Sri Lanka maritime route. In June, Sri Lankan Customs detained 26 passengers travelling on the same ferry route over alleged attempts to smuggle gold to India, including Indian and Sri Lankan nationals.

The Kankesanthurai-Nagapattinam passenger ferry connects northern Sri Lanka with Tamil Nadu. The maritime service was initially launched in October 2023 after a gap of about four decades and has since been resumed periodically to strengthen connectivity between the two countries.

with inputs from PTI