11 October 2010 04:30 am
Kannan and Jeeva were the other two who served as transporters.
Information of a plan to transport Sri Lankans refugees from India to Australia, from the Thengaitittu harbor, was received by the Crime and Intelligence (C&I) department on October 4, according to Pondichery police head quarters.
The four accused aborted their plan after they came to know that the police had been alerted and the Sri Lankans were asked to return. Several items like rice and other rations stored in the boat were dumped into the sea and the boat was abandoned near the Karaikal coast. The abandoned boat was seized by the police and upon investigation it was found that the boat belonged to Sakthivel.
Sakthivel was arrested by the police and upon interrogation it was found that one Ramu from Chennai had contacted Sakthivel to purchase a boat to transport some Sri Lankan refugees. Ramu had offered his boat for sale, named ‘Kadal Annai,’ through Logu Ayappan. Jeeva and Kannan were to transport the refugees in the boat that was docked at the Thengaitittu Harbour.