11 Sri Lankans planning to sail to Canada held in Kerala: Police

6 September 2022 08:05 am - 6 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Kerala police on Monday arrested 11 Sri Lankans from a hotel in Kollam in south Kerala after a tip off from Tamil Nadu police that they were planning to sail to Canada in a fishing boat.

Police said two Sri Lankan nationals, who reached Tamil Nadu on tourist visa last week, were found to be missing and Q Branch (a CID wing) followed their phone signals and located them in Kollam and alerted its counterparts. After search police nabbed 11, including two missing from Tamil Nadu, HindustanTimes reported.

The arrested told Kerala police that nine people entered India as refugees and lodged in a rehabilitation centre in Ramanathapuram in southern Tamil Nadu.

During questioning they reportedly told police that they gave ₹2.5 lakh each to an agent called Lakhmana in Colombo so as to ensure their trip to Canada by a shipping boat from the southern coast of India.

A team of Tamil Nadu Q Branch also arrived in the state to question them. “More arrests are likely because arrested got some local help. We have some leads on this,” said Kollam police commissioner Merin Joseph.

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Comments - 6

D P P Prasad Tuesday, 06 September 2022 09:40 AM

It is obvious that the number of youngsters are tempted to seek overseas jobs due to the present crisis. Thus certain young married persons dont have a sufficient income to look after and nurture their kids.In the veiw of the poverty and unemployment the human smuggling is increased day by by. Therefore the foreign employment bureau of Srilanka should initiate a programme to ease off this issue.

Anne Karunaratne Tuesday, 06 September 2022 12:19 PM

They must be truly desparate to try to SAIL to Canada!! Let them go, and let the Canadian government decide whether they are to be accepted in Canada or not and deport them if necessary.

Lasantha de Silva Tuesday, 06 September 2022 04:19 PM

Surely it is Sri Lankas duty to solve the root of these poor peoples suffering, don't you think? Instead of forcing those poor people to make this very dangerous boattrip.

MirakRajBanda Tuesday, 06 September 2022 01:15 PM

Sailing from India to Canada has a history of more than 100 years. Check the 'Komagata Maru incident' and you'll know how Asians were exclued by Canada as well as 'like minded colonies' for hundreds of years. Shame on them!!!!!!

Dee Tuesday, 06 September 2022 03:50 PM

If they do manage to get to Canada by boat, the coxswain should be given a job as a ship's captain, not be arrested.

RP Tuesday, 06 September 2022 10:19 PM

Sad ending. Please let these people go free. They are ordinary folks but, fed up SL Citizens looking for a bright future. There is no future for them in SL. Not sure whether they could make it to Canada by a fishing boat? At least they would have ended up in Mauritius or Maldives. Damn TN

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11 Sri Lankans planning to sail to Canada held in Kerala: Police

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