MANGALURU: Mangaluru city police have detained 38 Sri Lanka nationals who were staying in various lodges in the city after entering India illegally without valid documents.
Mangaluru city police commissioner N Shashi Kumar told the media that based on a Tamil Nadu intelligence report, the CCB and city police conducted an operation and detained 38 citizens of Sri Lanka from a lodge at Azaruddin Road near Bunder and lodges at Rao and Rao Circle and Kadaba Bengre.
"According to the Tamil Nadu intelligence wing, there were 39 nationals from Sri Lanka who had been promised jobs in Canada. They had paid Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh to the agents and arrived in Toothukudi in Tamil Nadu in a boat in March. Later they went to Madurai, Salem and then to Bengaluru. Later they were taken to Mangaluru and kept in lodges. We have taken six locals here into custody for giving shelter to these Sri Lankan nationals," he said.
The commissioner added that out of 39 nationals, one who is aged between 50 and 60 has gone back. "We have continued our investigation and will trace him. They were supposed to move out of India to Canada in cargo or private boats. But due to elections in Tamil Nadu they stayed back. There are agents in Mangaluru also who are helping these people to gain entry inside the country illegally. Tamil Nadu police is also probing the case and they have detained 40 people already as there is a racket who are cheating people promising jobs and allegedly trafficking them to other countries," he said.
They have been booked under IPC sections 120(b), 370,420, section 14 of the Foreigners Act of 1964 and section 12(1)(a) of the Passport Act 1967.