Police have launched an investigation together with the CID to apprehend the human smugglers who attempted to smuggle 24 illegal migrants to Canada.
Police Spokesman, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ajith Rohana said that while human smuggling operations had decreased last year, with Thursday’s detection it is evident that these human smuggling operations have recommenced.
The Sri Lanka Navy had detected 24 illegal migrants in the Kalpitiya area on Thursday while they were preparing to board fishing vessels in an attempt to illegally migrate to Canada.
The Police Spokesman said that the 24 suspected illegal migrants were handed over to the Kalpitiya Police on Thursday evening by the Navy. The persons are from Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Jaffna and Mullaitivu.
Among them were one woman, three children and 20 men.
“According to the statements given by the suspected illegal migrants, it has been revealed that a facilitator of the Jaffna area had collected money from them on the promise that they would be sent to Canada,” Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said.
He added that some of them had paid Rs.300,000– 500,000 to the facilitator for the deal. The suspects were produced before the Puttalam Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
He said that a special CID team was sent to Kalpitiya to assist the Kalpitiya Police to investigate this human smuggling racket.
The DIG noted that according to the legal provisions of the Emigrants and Immigrants Act, if a person is leaving Sri Lanka to a foreign country he/she should depart from the country through a registered port, either a harbour or an airport with proper documentation. Otherwise it is considered an offence.It is reported that the group had been transported via a lorry and had gathered in Kalpitiya in Puttalam where they were arrested by the Navy on Thursday.
