RAMANATHAPURAM
Customs Preventive Unit (CPU) in Rameswaram seized a Sri Lankan fibreglass fishing boat found washed ashore on Serankottai seashore near Kothandaramar Temple in Dhanushkodi on Thursday.
The seizure of the boat at a secluded place has raised apprehensions about coastal security ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Madurai on January 27 to lay foundation stone for All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS).
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Customs officials, who seized the boat, suspect landing of intruders at a time when the district police are stepping up security in view of the visit of Governor Banwarilal Purohit to Rameswaram on January 11 and 12. The Governor is visiting the island to dedicate the 30 ‘theertham wells’, renovated by Vivekananda Kendra, to the nation on January 12.
On being alerted by local people and fishermen, the CPU sleuths seized the boat and launched an investigation after registering a case. “We suspect the boat was used for a voyage,” the officials said. Footprints were seen on the shore, and the boat, measuring 18 ft in length and 8 ft in width, was fitted with an engine.
The sleuths found a fishing net, an anchor, a 25-litre plastic can with two litres of diesel in it and a 10-litre can with kerosene in the boat.
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The registration number of the boat indicated that it was a fishing boat registered in Mannar district in Sri Lanka, police said.
The district police too launched a search for suspected intruders. Superintendent of Police Omprakash Meena has alerted the police in the entire district and at check-posts to look for ‘new persons’. He said hotels and lodges had been asked not to accommodate anyone without identity cards and to inform the police about suspicious persons.