The Ramanathapuram Police have detained four persons, including three Sri Lankan nationals, who illegally reached Pamban from Sri Lanka by boat.
Based on a tip-off, the Q Branch police were engaged in surveillance operations in Pamban Thenguvadi coastal area near Rameswaram early on Friday morning.
They intercepted a fiberglass boat that was suspiciously heading towards Pamban Thenguvadi coast. The police found four persons on the boat: boat driver Muthuraja, 44, from Rameswaram, and Darshan, 34, Mohamed Khan, 32, and Mohamed Ashik, 25, all from Sri Lanka. The Q Branch police conducted an inquiry with them.
During the inquiry, it was found that Darshan had come to India via Bengaluru airport on a tourist visa on February 26, and had subsequently been living in Namakkal district.
Darshan contacted Muthuraja from Rameswaram and told him that two persons needed to be brought to Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka by boat. He offered Muthuraja ₹1.10 lakh for the job.
Following this, Darshan and Muthuraja set out from Dhanushkodi coast at around 6 p.m. on Thursday (October 22, 2026) in an unregistered fiberglass boat belonging to the latter. After waiting overnight in the International Maritime Boundary Line area, they took on board Mohamed Khan and Mohamed Ashik, who had arrived there by a boat originating from Sri Lanka, and reached Pamban Thenguvadi coast early on Friday morning.
It was revealed that both Khan and Ashik had obtained fake passports and were planning to travel to London.
The Q Branch police have initiated legal measures to register cases against Muthuraja, Darshan, Mohamed Khan, and Mohamed Ashik.
Published - October 23, 2026 08:46 pm IST