84 Shri Lankan refugees rescued from human trafficking net

84 Shri Lankan refugees rescued from human trafficking net

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sep 8, 2012: The police have rescued around 84 Shri Lankan refugees, who were being trafficked to Australia via sea route, late on the night of September 7, Friday. 

Addressing reporters at a press conference held this evening, IGP Pratap Reddy said that the police detained the boat used to move these people to Australia at Old Mangalore Port and arrested around 14 people, who were pretending to be agents helping the Shri Lankans find better opportunities abroad. 

The arrested are Rajeev Gandhi (28), C. Dinesh Kumar (27), Maria Jamsan (22), S. Ravichandran (30), Shivakumar (28), Mahendran (41), Shajahan (33), Thavarassa (46), S. Suresh (26), Siraj (37), Mariya Siran (33), Saleem (28), and Yakoob  (40). 

Stating that this is the first major case of human trafficking in Karnataka, he said that the arrested have been charged under IPC Section 120(b), Section 420, Foreigners Act (Section 14), and Foreigners Order (Rule 5). 

The so-called agents had fooled around 84 refugees into making a decision to move to Australia for better prospects. Among the rescued are 22 women, 56 men, and 6 children from around 23 refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. 

As soon as the district police got the news, a team under the leadership of ACP Kavita seized the boat at Old Mangalore Port, he said, adding that the rescued people are now under police protection. 

Revealing further details, he said that the accused purchased a boat called Shri Raksha from a man in Chitrapura for Rs. 11.5 lakh. The police have seized 6000 litres of diesel, food items, 10 mobile phones, identity cards of refugees, and Rs. 2,84,000, which they found on board the ship. 

On police interrogation, the agents confessed that they had made two unsuccessful attempts to send the refugees to Australia through Kerala and had decided to try moving them through Mangalore. 

Mr. Reddy said that 7 human trafficking cases were busted in 2011, most of them from Tamil Nadu, and in 2012, 13 more cases were reported till August. 

According to reliable sources, refugees are not allowed to leave the camps, and those who do so without permission are severely punished. They are allowed to leave the camp only if they promise to return the same evening. Mr. Reddy said that no alert was given out although a large number of refugees went missing from the camps. 

ACP Kavitha, CCB Inspector Dr. H. N. Venkatesh Prasanna, and many other officers were present at the press meet.