Lankan Tamil refugees arrive by illegal boat service, one held in Tamil Nadu

A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee, who arrived here today by an illegal boat service, has been taken into custody for questioning and a massive hunt launched for other refugees, police said.

DSP Vijayakumar said the refugees had arrived at Arichalmunai near Dhanushkodi from Sri Lanka and police with the help of the Coast Guard managed to nab a person, Santhan, who confessed that he had come along with some others by paying Rs one lakh as ferry charge.

Others are absconding, police said. An official said they were interrogating Santhan, but were not sure how many had arrived with him.

Santhan told police that others, who had come with him, had left long back and he was not aware of their whereabouts nor did he inquire with them about their destination, sources said.

Police said they had launched a massive hunt for other refugees as they suspected that they could be Sri Lankan militants