Rumored that Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family fled to India

There have been allegations that Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family have fled to India after he resigned as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, on the other hand, dismissed as “fake and obviously incorrect” local social media rumors that the strong Rajapaksa family patriarch had escaped to India on Tuesday.

“The High Commission has lately been aware of media reports and social media that some politicians and their families have fled to India. These are obviously phony and fraudulent stories that have no truth or substance. According to a statement, they are categorically denied by the High Commission.”

MORE: Elon Musk Says Donald Trump’s Twitter ban is “morally wrong.”

On Monday, Mahinda resigned as prime minister hours after his supporters assaulted anti-government protestors amid unprecedented economic hardship in Sri Lanka.

Since his resignation, there has been speculation regarding Mahinda Rajapaksa’s location, with reports that he departed his office-turned-official house, Temple Trees, early Tuesday morning.

He was also said to have sought sanctuary in the Naval Base in Trincomalee’s eastern port sector.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s top civil aviation official debunked social media rumors on Tuesday, saying he was not engaged in the “illegal transfer and evacuation of any person or individuals from Sri Lanka.”

According to the PTI news agency, Captain Themiya Abeywickrama, Director General and CEO of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, condemned the social media posts as “false charges” in a statement.

He said he had nothing to do with “the unlawful transit and evacuation of any person or individuals from Sri Lanka.”