A 24-year-old man from Sri Lanka was detained by Thangachimadam police in Rameswaram on Sunday.
The man was alone at Valasai bus stop and claimed that he had lost his way. A patrol team brought him to the police station and conducted an inquiry.
A police officer said the man identified as R. Thushanthan, 24, claimed to be a resident of Jaffna in Sri Lanka and gave his address.
He said he landed in Chennai on February 26 and went to his aunt’s house in Maduravoyal. After staying there for a month, he visited his sister, S. Salomi, living in a refugee camp in Kangeyam in Erode district. However, he was denied entry due to lockdown. Hence, he went to another relative’s house in Tiruvannamalai district.
After staying there for a fortnight, he boarded a lorry bound for Thoothukudi last week. From there, he travelled to Madurai, where he destroyed his passport and other belongings. After reaching Pamban on Saturday night, he trekked to Thangachimadam and planned to return home, he said.
Police handed Thushanthan to Q Branch for further interrogation.
A senior police officer said they were in the process of verifying the details and refused to elaborate when asked why he destroyed his passport.
