Maldives ex-vice president seeks asylum in India

Former vice president Ahmed Adeeb has sought political asylum in India after fleeing the Maldives as a stowaway on a tugboat.

The 37-year-old claims to have been “subjected to a series of politically motivated prosecutions, and attempts to coerce him into making false statements by the Maldives [police],” according to a statement by his international legal team.

Adeeb was held for questioning after he arrived at the Tuticorin port on Thursday. The Indian authorities were reportedly tipped off after one of the nine crew members alerted the ship’s agent to an unregistered passenger.

The Indian external affairs ministry said Adeeb was denied entry because he did not seek to enter “through a designated entry point and did not possess the valid [travel] document.”