A family of seven from Sri Lanka landed in Dhanushkodi in the Ramanathapuram district in India on Monday morning seeking asylum to escape the economic crisis in the island nation, it was reported.
According to Indian media, Times of India, after investigation, they were lodged in the Mandapam refugee camp.
After being informed, the Mandapam Coastal Security Group (marine) police went to Arichalmunai in Dhanushkodi and brought the seven Sri Lankans to the station.
The refugees were Nagaraja, 43, his wife Vaninthini, 38, and their five children from Jaffna district.
The family has paid a hefty sum to illegal ferry operators to reach Dhanushkodi from Talaimannar. After the interrogation, the family was taken to the refugee camp at Mandapam.
With them, the number of Sri Lankan nationals arriving in the country seeking asylum touched 282 since March 2022 following the severe economic crisis in the island nation. (NewsWire)
