Sri Lankan Tamils sent to Chennai

As many as 147 Sri Lankan Tamils, who were in the custody of Tuni Rural Police for the past three days, were sent back to Chennai by the Criminal Investigation Department of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu police on Saturday.


Their passports and identity cards issued by the refugee camps were verified. Superintendent of Police of East Godavari C. M. Trivikram Varma said all of them were sent by Circar Express to Chennai under police escort.

The Sri Lankans were taken into custody when they were moving suspiciously near the Talupulamma Lova shrine.

Police reported the matter to the CID, Hyderabad, who in turn informed Tamil Nadu police to check the antecedents of the Tamils.

The refugees told the police that they were duped by five agents who promised to take them to Canada and get jobs there.

The agents collected Rs.5, 000 each and left them in the Lova shrine promising to transport them to Visakhapatnam and, from there, to Canada by ship. This was 13 days ago and, in the meanwhile, the agents were nabbed by the local police.

“We have not booked any cases against the refugees, and [we] handed them over to [the] Chennai police. I think they will book cases against the agents who cheated the refugees,” Mr. Varma said.