India, Jan. 9 -- After reports emerged that three Indians were on board the Russian-flagged oil tanker seized by the US in the Atlantic Ocean for alleged Venezuela links, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Friday said that it is closely monitoring the reports and is currently "ascertaining" the details of the nationals aboard the tanker.

The US forces boarded the "Bella 1" tanker on Wednesday in the North Atlantic, after weeks of pursuit. According to a Reuters report, the tanker had been tracked from the Caribbean Sea.

During a weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We are closely following the developments, and we are ascertaining further details of the Indian nationals who are supposed to be there on th...