A 24-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil man swam about seven nautical miles in the Palk Strait and reached Dhanushkodi on Sunday.
The man, identified as Hassan Khan alias Ajay alias Khan of Mannar district, jumped into the sea after the Sri Lankan Navy fired at a boat ferrying him and a family of five illegally to Tamil Nadu. Following information from the fishermen, the marine police picked him up for interrogation. Senior officers of the Central agencies were questioning him.
A senior officer, who was part of the investigation, told The Hindu that Khan had left Sri Lanka about three days ago in an illegal vessel hired by a family of five in Mannar district. As they were nearing the fifth islet near Arichalmunai, there were gun shots mid-sea. Apprehending trouble, Khan jumped off the vessel. When the family of five reached the Mandapam shore on Friday, they were clueless about him.
