Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb has been arrested in India, after he was caught trying to enter the country illegally in a tugboat.

Indian media reports claim that Adeeb was stopped by intelligence agency officials from entering India via a ship located off the coast of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, he was not permitted entry because he did not have the proper travel documents.

"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. 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," Raveesh Kumar, the ministry's spokesperson, said.

"Ahmed Adeeb, who was under house arrest in Maldives, has said he wants to seek political asylum in India due to the political situation back home. He had planned to enter the shores using a boat," police sources told NDTV earlier in the day.

Officials intercepted the barge mid-sea after a tip-off, and Ahmed Adeeb was held on board and not permitted to step foot in India.

Even though Adeeb has been freed of all charges pressed against him, the Supreme Court had ordered to hold his passport regarding a case that has been submitted to the court.