High vigil along Tamil Nadu coast to thwart the intrusion of Sri Lankan nationals

Chennai: Amid the uncertainty in Sri Lanka following political and economic turmoil, Tamil Nadu coastal police are on high alert as Central agencies have forewarned the possibility of a heavy intrusion from the island country.

There is a possibility of Sri Lankan inflow into the country, according to a senior officer of the Tamil Nadu home department who also told IANS that the department is constantly in touch with the Union Home ministry.

Police is also alert on the possibility of 50 prisoners who had escaped from the Hambantota prison escaping into India through the sea route. The state home department has also directed the Tamil Nadu coastal police to alert the village committees in Dhanushkodi, Rameswaram, and other coastal areas of the state to inform the police regarding the presence of strangers.

However, the police, according to a senior officer based at Police Headquarters, is also ascertaining the possibility of the cadres of the defunct LTTE trying to sneak into India using this opportunity. It may be noted that a few people were arrested in October 2021 after they tried to withdraw money from a defunct account of the sympathisers of the LTTE in Mumbai and on questioning they had informed the police that they were collecting money to fund the operations of the LTTE.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu home department told IANS that the Coastal Security group of the state police is coordinating with the Coast Guard and the Indian Navy to block any illegal entry of Sri Lankan nationals into Indian waters.

The state home department has also directed the fishermen from Tamil Nadu to be on alert while fishing near the International Marine Boundary Line as the Sri Lankan Navy is also alert over the nationals of that country crossing into Indian waters.

It may be recalled that several Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested and jailed and their costly mechanised boats confiscated by the Sri Lankan Naval authorities in recent times.

Police are on alert to prevent the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and other contraband items into Indian shores from the island country.

The Coastal security group is also on the lookout for any individuals or families who are left by boat operators in mounds near the Dhanushkodi and Rameswaram area as a few families were rescued from this place by the Coastal Security group and the Indian Coast Guard after the internal crisis in Sri Lanka commenced.

(With inputs from IANS)