Mystery of Munambam boat people begins where land ends

Reports of tragedy on the high seas involving boat people are commonly linked to the strife-torn zones of the world, but one January morning four years ago, India woke up to news of a group of people who’d set sail for Australia only to go missing without a trace. The whereabouts of the 248 passengers who’d embarked on a repurposed fishing trawler in search of a better life on distant shores remains a mystery. Only theories remain as to what happened to them.This much is certain. On January 12, 2019, a 90-ft-long boat left Maliankara near Munambam in Kochi with its human cargo of Sri Lankan Tamil migrants. That something was afoot in the neighbourhood had become evident to locals as they woke up to loud arguments in Tamil. Those who went to the jetty a little later to investigate found some bags lying around stuffed with dry fruits, dates, drinking water and clothes.The police recovered two boarding passes of a Delhi-Kochi flight. On examining phone records and connecting the dots slowly, the police finally zeroed in on two names – Srikanthan and Prabhu. The duo was traced to Madangir Colony in the Ambedkar Nagar police station area of New Delhi. Inquiries revealed that Srikanthan had travelled to several places across the country. A search at the rented accommodation that he’d used in Thiruvananthapuram yielded key documents like representations to the UK government for asylum, which had been rejected because of his links to Sri Lankan separatist outfit LTTE.Srikanthan had settled on Australia as his next destination and had got in touch with Prabhu as he had once succeessfully sailed to Australia on a boat though he was eventually deported.Police managed to identify 16 persons allegedly involved in organising the trip of which 10 were arrested. The remaining six are believed to have been part of the group that set sail. “The actual number of those who had planned to travel on the boat was much larger. But many had to be left behind,” said DIG Rahul R Nair, who was then SP (Ernakulam rural).Medium108404795 Why Munambam? Not only the place but the timing of the trip also underscores the attention to detail. January is when a large number of pilgrims from Tamil Nadu head to Kerala for the Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival season in Sabarimala. “Sri Lankan Tamils’ links with Tamil Nadu are very strong and they would have typically chosen the Tamil Nadu coast for such a trip. But the situation changed after the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi (in 1991). Surveillance had increased along the Tamil Nadu coast, which might be why they zeroed in on the Kerala coast,” ex-DGP and former state intelligence chief A Hemachandran said. In fact, intelligence agencies had foiled similar attempts in 2013 and in 2019 as well.Another reason for choosing Kerala would have been Cherai’s boat-building expertise. “Only the western coast makes steel hull boats that are comparatively strong and safe for sailing. Also, there are several embarking points that generally stay under the radar as they are located in the backwaters just like Maliankara,” DIG Nair said.Since an order coming from another state for a new boat is reported to police, a fishing trawler was chosen and repurposed for the trip. Rs 3 lakh is said to have been the fee for each adult while a child’s passage cost Rs 1.5 lakh. Of the 248, close to 100 were children, including newborns.The vessel finally procured for the trip was the Daya Matha, which was damaged in the Ockhi cyclone of 2017. Rs 1.40 crore was paid for the boat that was modified with the addition of compartments for passengers as well as a couple of toilets, a water tank and storage for diesel. CCTV footage from the fuel station at the boatyard showed that Srikanthan and Prabhu had filled 14,000 litres of diesel in the boat. Falling Off The Map Seasoned sailors were brought in from Sri Lanka to man the boat. GPS was avoided over fears it would put security agencies on their tail. The entire episode exposed gaps in the coastal security system and the National Security Advisor kept a tab on the probe. While police were able to piece together the events till the migrants set sail, they are clueless as to the details thereafter. The target was to reach their destination in 23 to 25 days, but the boat never made it to either New Zealand or Australia.The boat must have either sunk in rough seas or been captured by Sri Lankan authorities. “In all probability, they lost their lives. Blue Corner notices were sent to Australia and New Zealand via Interpol for all the 248 passengers, but we have received no information,” police sources said.