Karnataka police has busted a Sri Lankan human trafficking ring, netting 38 Sri Lankan nationals in Mangaluru in a major operation. According to officials, the plan was to further smuggle them into Canada. 23 more Sri Lankan nationals were found by Tamil Nadu Police in that state. One person is missing and Karnataka police has launched an operation to trace him.
Based on a tipoff, Karnataka intelligence alerted Mangaluru police about Sri Lankan nationals illegally staying in hotels in the port city. A team led by commissioner of police Shashi Kumar raided three hotels and found the Sri Lankan Tamils, who were brought to India en route to Canada.
According to Karnataka police, they were brought to Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu from Sri Lankan shores by boats. They were later sent to Mangaluru and the agents were planning to smuggle them out to Canada in container ships. The coronavirus-induced lockdown upset their original plan and these people were made to wait in some rundown hotels in the city for the right time to board the ship. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka intelligence got wind of the human trafficking ring and alerted the police.
The Sri Lankans have admitted that they paid Rs 6 lakh (1.5 million in Sri Lankan currency) per head in advance in Sri Lanka. A caretaker, an Indian national, has been arrested by the police in Mangaluru. They believe that the kingpins are either in Sri Lanka or in Canada.
Karnataka police is informing the union ministry of external affairs in Delhi about the case through official channels, said sources.
The Sri Lankan deputy high commission in Chennai and foreign ministry in Colombo are also making enquiries about the operation, though they have not been officially informed.
Canada and Australia have been the favourite destinations for Sri Lankan Tamils searching for employment and a better life. During the 30-year-long civil war, almost ten lakh people migrated to West and Pacific nations through both legal and illegal channels.
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