The Australian Border Force has denied scuttling an asylum seeker boat, saying the vessel was unseaworthy and sank after its passengers had been removed.

According to an Indonesian police official, the boat, carrying six Bangladeshi men, was scuttled by Australian Border Force personnel in the Timor Sea.



The men, along with their two Indonesian crew, were offloaded on to a local fishing boat off the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara.



East Nusa Tenggara water police director Teddy JS Marbun said the men left the port of Tenau in Kupang on 3 March heading for Australia.



“Based on testimony from the captain and the crew, there were six foreign people on the boat,” Marbun said.



He said they were intercepted by the Australian Border Force vessel on Monday. The men were then taken on board the Australian ship and their boat reportedly scuttled.



Marbun said the Australians then sought an Indonesian fishing boat in the area.



“Not far from there, there was a fisherman boat from Kupang looking for sea cucumber,” Marbun said. “The boat then was asked to bring the crews and the migrants back to Kupang. Up to now, they’re all still under investigation.”

Marbun said the asylum seekers, all men aged between 23 and 45, said they’d been in Kupang since 13 February.



“They claimed that their documents, including their passports, were drowned along with the boat, which was drowned by the Australians,” he added.



Niko, a Kupang man, prepared the boat, said Isai Rano, one of the boat’s crew. He said the Bangladeshi men had bought the boat from Niko for 93 million rupiah ($A9,492).



Isai said he and his crewmate Lasuma were promised 35m rupiah for taking the men to Australia, but Niko just gave them 10m, with the rest to be paid once they had arrived in Australia.



“They [the Bangladeshis] came to Tenau port at 1am on March 3. We’re leaving at 3am. All the preparation for the trip have been prepared by Niko, like food and fuel.



“I only knew Niko for one day before leaving. I didn’t know at first who bought the boat. I was only asked to drive the boat and so I accepted the offer because I need the money.”



He said they did not receive any money from the Border Force to turn back.



“Before sending us back to Kupang, officers from Australian Customs gave us logistics like food, fuel and life jacket. No, they didn’t give us money,” Isai said.

The government has been strident in refusing to comment on “on-water matters”, but ABF commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg tweeted in response to the claims: “ABF Maritime patrol assisted an Indonesian vessel in distress. Vessel was NOT scuttled – was unseaworthy & sank. Pax assisted & ok.”

Australian Associated Press contributed to this report