Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NM)

Mangalore, Sep 8: As many as 84 Sri Lankan refugees were saved from the clutches of human traffickers here at the New Mangalore Port while they were being transported to Australia last night 11.00 pm, on September 7.

Pratap Reddy, IGP informed here at a press meet that as many as 14 people were arrested. They posed themselves as the agents in the pretext of sending these refugees to a foreign country through sea route for better opportunities.

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

Tagging the incident as ‘the first major case of human trafficking in the state of Karnataka’ he added that IPC section 120 (b) , section 420 on cheating with conspiracy, Foreigner’s Act (Section 14) and Foreigner’s Order (Rule 5) is registered against the accused .

These people disguised as agents lured the 84 refugees of better employment, foreign citizenship. The 84 refugees include 22 are women, 56 men and 6 children belonging to 23 different refugee camps in Tamil Nadu, he said.

Acting on a tip off, the district police led by ACP Kavita seized the boat while they were being transported to Australia. He also said that all the refugees are in the protective custody and no case will be registered against them.

Explaining the incident, he added, that the accused bought a boat registered by the name ‘Shri Raksha’ from a person in Chitrapura by paying Rs. 11.5 lakhs. The police found 6000 liters of stored diesel and a huge quantity of food stuff on board. They also confiscated Rs 2,84,000 in cash, 10 mobile phones and identity cards of refugee camps.

In the preliminary interrogation, it is learnt that the agents had tried to send these refugees to Australia on two earlier occasions through the state of Kerala but their attempts ended in failure. Therefore, they came to Mangalore.

Pointing out other such incidents, he said in the year 2011, 7 cases of human trafficking were traced across India, mainly from Tamil Nadu and in the year 2012, 13 more cases were found till August. However, this is the major case of such a type, he said.

Confirmed sources said that 'those refugees who go out of their camps without permission are severely punished. The refugees are only permitted to go out on the condition that they return to camp the same evening. Police sources said that there was no alert signal given even after such a huge number went missing from the camps.

ACP Kavitha of Central Sub-division, Dr H N Venkatesh Prasanna, CCB Inspector, Y Gangi Reddy, and Coastal Security Police Inspector were present at the meet.