9 Sri Lankan Refugees Who Flee Tamil Nadu Mandapam Camp Trapped Near Maritime Border – Tamil Nadu News

Nine Sri Lankan refugees who escaped from the Mandapam refugee camp in Tamil Nadu were captured by the Sri Lankan Navy near Neduntheevu Island on Saturday evening, officials said.

Three refugees, identified as Niroshan, Sudha, Gnanajothi, along with three children and three other women from Trincomalee, Mannar and Mullaitivu in Sri Lanka, had initially arrived by sea at India’s Dhanushkodi coast during the economic crisis between 2022 and 2023.

They were then given shelter in the Mandapam camp in Tamil Nadu.

The refugees bought a country boat from Nagapattinam and tried to cross the sea. However, when they reached Neduntheevu, they were intercepted and detained by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The detained refugees were taken to Neduntheevu Government Hospital for medical examination. In response to the escape, the central and state intelligence agencies, along with the marine police, have launched an investigation to identify those who facilitated their escape and sold the boat to them.

Further investigation is underway into the network involved in their attempted escape.