This would have made for an excellent account of survival on high seas. But three Myanmarese fishermen who claimed they had spent three months adrift in the seas with nothing to eat or drink and left with tattered clothes on their bodies are finding it difficult to explain their misadventure into Indian territorial waters.

The Berhampur police, at least, are not buying their story. The threesome were noticed on a raft in the sea off Gopalpur in the coastal Berhampur district and brought to the shore by local fishermen. They reported the matter to the police, which initially interrogated them using sign language. During further interrogation in the police station, with the help of interpreters, the three said they were Myanmar fishermen who had strayed into the Indian waters after they separated from their fishermen group. The three, who said their names were Zou (44), Sou Lui (34) and Ku Ni (21), claimed that they had left their shores in January last year and had strayed into the Indian waters during a cyclonic storm. Even for the interpreters, it has been difficult to extract more information. While the local fishermen claimed to have rescued these fishermen, the police are taking the story with a pinch of salt.

Berhampur SP Nitinjit Singh said, “It is hard to believe that they could have been adrift for three months withoutwater to drink or anything to eat. Further interrogation will bring out the actual story.” Singh added that they were on a four-layered bamboo raft with a small hut like structure on it. Save a few face masks, nothing was found on the raft. He had spoken to police headquarters and it will be decided whether to hand them over to the court for further proceedings. The SP admitted that there have been instances of fishermen straying into Indian waters in the past. A few years ago, a group of fishermen from Myanmar had strayed into the Indian waters near the coastal district of Kendrapada. They were sent to jail and it was only after diplomatic intervention that they were released.