Another human smuggling attempt foiled

Ridma Dissanayake

* 133 arrested en route to Australia

* Each illegal migrant charged Rs 900,000

The Navy and the Police arrested 133 persons attempting to flee to Australia illegally in two separate detections. In the first incident, Chilaw Police arrested 22 persons in the Munneswaram area, Chilaw, attempting to illegally travel to Australia while the Navy took into custody 109 persons when it intercepted a boat 25 nautical miles off Kalkudah. The latter too were heading for Australia.

According to Navy Command Media Spokesman Commodore Kosala Warnakulasooriya 101 among those arrested off Kalkudah seas were Tamils while eight were Sinhalese. In the Chilaw detection, the suspects are said to be from Mullaitivu and Jaffna, Police said.

Those arrested from Chilaw included two human smugglers from Ridiwella and Udappuwa and two three-wheeler drivers. Rs 294,000 was found in the possession of a suspect. Around Rs 650,000, 17 handphones and a haul of food items including packets of biscuits and bottles of water were also taken into custody along with the suspects.

The suspects operating the human smuggling racket had reportedly charged Rs 900,000 from each person seeking to travel to Australia illegally.

The group is said to have stayed at a hotel in Munneswaram. They were arrested while travelling in three three-wheelers. A three-wheeler driver had reportedly fled with the vehicle. The suspects were produced before the Chilaw district court yesterday.

A Navy patrol vessel deployed by the Eastern Naval Command intercepted the boatload of illegal immigrants off the Kalkudah seas. All those arrested were brought to the Trincomalee Harbour and handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department for further investigations.