Former Maldives vice president Ahmed Adeeb has been arrested for trying to enter India illegally (Ishara S.KODIKARA)

New Delhi (AFP) – Former Maldives vice president Ahmed Adeeb was detained Thursday by Indian authorities for trying to illegally enter the South Asian nation on a tugboat, officials said.

Adeeb, who was released from a Maldives jail in May after a court quashed a conviction for attempting to kill then-president Abdulla Yameen in 2015, was taken into custody in the port city of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu state, the officials told AFP.

“He was not entering India through a designated entry point and did not possess the valid document,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.

Adeeb is due to face a new trial over the attempted murder case and also faces corruption investigations dating back to when he was deputy to Yameen, who was defeated in an election last year.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Adeeb did not have a passport when he was detained on the tug.

Maldivian police said they were trying to arrange for Adeeb’s return to face a criminal investigation over the misappropriation of state funds during Yameen’s presidency.

“We are in contact with a friendly neighbouring nation to bring Adeeb back to the Maldives,” police said in a statement.

They added that he was due to make a statement on Wednesday in connection with an ongoing investigation, but failed to show up.

The Maldives government seized Adeeb’s passport amid the probes.

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.