The five Iranians detained in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday were tourists and travelling on legal documents, police said on Thursday.

The Iranian nationals, including two women, were detained near Nakkapalli in Visakhapatnam district on suspicion after Odisha Police alerted their Andhra counterparts.

They allegedly fled from a hotel in Bhubaneswar on Monday when the staff sought proof of their identity.

The foreigners were travelling in a car with Delhi registration number. As they did not stop at a toll gate, police chased the car and intercepted them. The police officials questioned them and screened their documents.

Visakapatnam Superintendent of Police K. Praveen said they all had valid passports, visas and other documents. They had visited various parts of the country before entering Andhra via Odisha.

A team from Odisha Police Special Branch is expected to reach Visakhapatnam later in the day to know why they fled from the hotel.

Security forces in and around Viskhapatnam are on high alert in view of the international fleet review beginning on February 4.