Two Sri Lankan refugees try to illegally flee to Lanka, arrested in Tamil Nadu waters

Bengaluru: Sivaraj and Anbu, two debt-ridden brothers from the Sri Lankan refugee camp in Tamil Nadu, arranged for a boat through an agent in Rameswaram and tried to flee to Sri Lanka but were caught by the Indian Coast Guard at Mandapam when their boat was stranded mid-sea. Two fishermen who had steered the boat jumped into the sea and swam to safety. Sivaraj and Anbu, however, did not know how to swim and were stranded.

They have been booked under Section 12(1)(a) of The Passport Act. They are lodged at Ramanathapuram district jail. Cash worth Rs 1.1 lakh in Indian currency, few US and Hong Kong currencies, mobile phones and GPS devices was seized from the duo. The duo reportedly said that they had promised to pay Rs 1 Lakh to the Sri Lankan boatmen who agreed to take them to the Lankan coast.  Police have stated that Sivaraj ran a fish stall and eatery shop by taking loans from residents. He stood to owe Rs 70 lakh. The brothers sold the shops and were ready to flee to Sri Lanka. The duo was reportedly quoted saying that they were going to sell their ancestral property to settle their debt.