Chennai, Nov 30 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Coastal Security Group and Coastal police are on high alert after 360 kg of fertilisers were seized from two people who were trying to smuggle it to Sri Lanka in a country boat.

The duo was intercepted by the police at Ramanathapuram as they were reaching the coast in an SUV to deliver fertilisers stacked in small plastic cans. Thirty cans were seized with fertiliser powder filled in them.

According to a senior coastal marine police official, after the recession hit the island nation, materials including that required for daily consumption are being smuggled into that country from India, mainly from Tamil Nadu.

Sources in the coastal police told IANS that the department is on high alert and is intercepting all the vessels that are ferrying in the sea under suspicious circumstances near the Ramanathapuram seas.

It may be noted that the coastal police had earlier arrested 14 people in the seas while they were ferrying beedi leaves to the island nation.

With gold in abundance in the island, the coastal police officers suspect that the gold may be smuggled into India by certain organised networks and a high alert is already in place.

Indian Coast Guard is also keeping a strict vigil across the seas to prevent any influx of vessels with contrabands or smuggled goods into India or outside the country through the Ramanathapuram coast.