(UTV|COLOMBO) – An unmanned fishing boat bearing the a Sri Lankan registration number washed ashore on Friday in Manali Island near Mandapam in the Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu, the Times of India reported.
Officials from the customs, police and state and central intelligence agencies are conducting a probe to find out how the small boat had drifted.
The boat was taken to Mandapam by the customs personnel and efforts are on to identify the owner of that boat – in coordination with officials in Sri Lanka.
As the boat was spotted few nautical miles away from the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), officials suspected that someone could have entered Tamil Nadu recently.
There is also a suspicion that the boat could have been abandoned after a technical snag or drifted due to the wind and tide.
M Joseph Jayaraj, superintendent of customs, Rameswaram, told TOI that the boat is very old, damaged and beyond redemption. It also did not have a motor.
Inquiries were also conducted with villagers if they spotted any movement of strangers in their vicinity in recent days and asked them to alert the police if they receive any information.
[alert color=”faebcc” icon=”fa-commenting”]Keeping up to date with breaking news while you are on the move is now simple with UTV Alerts [textmarker color=”8a6d3b”]Type REG UTV and send to 77000[/textmarker] on your Dialog, Airtel, or Hutch mobile connection[/alert]