India sends back Maldives ex-vice president

Former vice president of Maldives Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor, who had sought political asylum in India, has been sent back to his home country, police said today.

Adheeb, who arrived Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu on Thursday on a cargo vessel along with nine crew members, was not allowed to enter India as he did not possess valid documents, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

He was not allowed to disembark from the ship and was questioned on-board by Indian security agencies, the officials said.

Adheeb, who was vice president in 2015 when Abdulla Yameen was president of the Maldives, had sought political asylum in India as he faces a serious risk to his life in his home country, a UK lawyer representing the politician said.

Adheeb is accused in several corruption cases in the Maldives and would face trial there.