Fishing boat found parked at harbour

A fishing boat with Tamil Nadu registration was found parked at the fishing harbour here on Tuesday night. The owner of the boat has been traced to one Shakthivel, a fisherman from Veeranamapattinam in Puducherry.

According to the coastal police here, an anonymous call was received on Tuesday afternoon ‘alerting' them about a boat potentially “carrying Srilankans to Australia.” The vessel was not intercepted on the waters but was found parked here. It contained nothing more than a portable generator and fuel.

The fisherman had reportedly stated that the boat was on its way to Nagapattinam from where it was purchased. Investigations are on.