Mangalore police busted one of the biggest human trafficking cases in the state and rescued 84 Sri Lankan refugees headed for Australia.
IGP (Western Range) Pratap Reddy said as many as 13 agents from Sri Lanka and Kerala involved in trafficking were arrested.
The refugees, including 22 women and six children, from 23 camps in Tamil Nadu, were lured by the promise of a dignified life in Australia.
The refugees, from the 1992 batch, were staying in camps in Chennai, Madurai, Pudukottai, Palar Anikattu, Tirunelveli and Hosur.
They paid upto Rs 1 lakh from their savings to agents in order to realise their dream. Two attempts — one from Ponnani in Tamil Nadu and the next from Kollam in Kerala in June — were made to take refugees in a boat to Christmas Island near Australia. Alert police foiled both attempts. The agents, including a confessed LTTE cadre Thavarassa, then decided to sail from Mangalore.
After buying a fishing boat Sri Raksha for Rs 11.5 lakh from one Madhav Suvarna, the agents stocked the boat with water, provisions and 6,000 litres of fuel for the gruelling journey.
Refugees who were part of the first two attempts, began arriving in Mangalore by train and bus from Tuesday and were lodged in hotels. As many as 31 of them visited Kollur to while away time.
On a tip-off, police prevented the fishing boat, anchored near NMPT guest house away from Mangalore, in Tanir Bavi, from setting sail. Varadamma, cradling her wailing month-old baby Sanjana, the youngest of the refugees, was seen weeping at Pandeshwar women’s police station.
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