Mangaluru City Poluce on Friday announced the arrest of 38 Sri Lankan nationals who could be part of human trafficking and were staying illegally in the city since about two months.
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Commissioner of Police N. Shashi Kumar told reporters here the arrests were made based on inputs from intelligence agencies as well as Tamil Nadu counterparts from two lodges and private houses. Cases under the IPC, Foreigners Act and Rules and Passport Act were registered against them in the South Police Station.
According to initial inquiry, the nationals, mostly from northern Sri Lanka, landed at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu by boats on March 17. They were supposed to be taken to Canada by sea route thereafter. Since vigilance was intensified in Tamil Nadu for Assembly polls, they were sent out to Karnataka, initially to Bengaluru and then to Mangaluru by road. They had reportedly paid up to 10 lakh Sri Lankan rupees to agents for moving to Canada.
Further investigation is on, Mr. Kumar said.
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