The former Vice-President of the Maldives, Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor, on Thursday reached India via the sea route but was denied entry as he did not possess any valid document.

The dignitary who arrived on a vessel “cannot deboard now, since there was no information about him coming to India”, a top Tuticorin district police official told PTI. Adheeb was being questioned by central government agencies, he said.

“There are designated entry points through which foreigners are allowed entry into India. The entry is facilitated on the basis of appropriate valid travel documents, foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. “In the instant case, since he was not entering India through a designated entry point and did not possess the valid document, he has not been permitted entry into India.”

The police official said the vessel in which Adheeb arrived had nine crewmembers, adding he is expected to return now that he had been apprised that he cannot enter the country.