Major breakthrough in human smuggling operations

The Fraud Bureau sleuths thwarted one of the most daring human smuggling operations recently. They nabbed 113 mostly Tamil speaking people who were bound for Australia seeking greener pastures.

They were to be smuggled in a boat from the Wennappuwa beach last week.

A senior police officer said another boat carrying illegal immigrants from Sri Lankan landed in the Christmas Island last week. The smugglers probably used a second boat from another location simultaneously to whisked away the group of Sri Lankans while the police were interrogating the 113 suspects.

Police sources said nine boats carrying 450 people from Sri Lanka had illegally entered the Christmas Island during the past 12 months.

Strategy

Director of the Colombo Fraud Bureau, Senior Superintendent of Police, J.A.K.A. Mark, lost no time in mapping out a strategy to nab the masterminds of the smuggling network and people who ventured to undertake the perilous voyage to the Christmas Island. The men were from Mannar, Chillaw, Negombo and Udappuwa. They were those who struggled to eke out a living in the villages. Of the 113 passengers, 109 were Tamil speaking men, three Sinhalese men and one Muslim man.

They had assembled at the Galle Face and at Negombo.

Destination

They were to be transported to Udappuwa from where they were to board a trawler.

There were seven Dolphin vans and a lorry to transport the men to the pre-arranged destination. The men were told that the trawler would carry them to a ship anchored in the sea.

The passengers were assured that the vessel would sail to Christmas Island, Australia and they had nothing to fear. The sleuths kept a tab on the shadowy operation and learnt that the mastermind was a wealthy businessman from Chilaw who owned an international school in the area.

Each man had paid him Rs. 15 lakhs for the voyage and a total sum of Rs. 316 lakhs had been collected by the mastermind.

Last week sleuths lay in ambush and arrested the first batch of people at the Galle Face Green. By then the men had boarded several vehicles to be whisked away to Udappuwa to commence their voyage. Following the arrest the other illegal immigrants from Negombo were also taken into custody. They were from Udappuwa, Negombo and from Wennapuwa.

The sordid nature of the racket was exposed following the arrest of the kingpin. The racketeer had fleeced inpressionable people by promising them employment in developed countries, police said. Following the arrest, the Fraud Bureau sleuths took charge of seven vehicles and a lorry used for transporting people.

A few years ago, 40 males, 12 females and six children from the Northern and Eastern provinces were arrested by the Negombo police when they attempted to flee the country in a boat bound for Australia.

The trawler in which they were to sail was later found abandoned at Ambakandawila in the Chilaw area with 6,000 litres of fuel and a consignment of food-stuff. Police said the victims were from Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Batticaloa. Each had paid a Rs. one lakh as an advance for the smugglers.

They had agreed to pay a further Rs. 3 lakhs after completing the voyage. The seven suspects who organised the voyage were produced before the Colombo Magistrate who issued a detention order.

Two years ago 32 people who attempted to sail to New Zealand illegally from a coastal town in Negombo were arrested by the Negombo police. They included 14 people from Vavuniya, 10 from Mannar and 8 from the Ampara district.

However, the boatmen fled before the police arrived on the scene. The 32 suspects were produced before the Negombo Courts and a detention order was issued.

The suspects had paid of Rs. 300,000 to a smuggler from the Vavuniya area. However, the man escaped after collecting the cash from the people. Police have launched an investigation to ascertain whether the suspect was involved in terrorist activities.

A few years ago a millionaire businessman was taken into custody in connection with human trafficking to European countries. Several people had paid large sums of money to the racketeer, police said. Among them were Sri Lankans, Bangladesis, Pakistanis and Indians.

The smuggler had promised to take them to Western Europe and Australia. In 2003, 254 Pakistani men and five Sri Lankans who attempted to flee the country were taken into custody by the police.

The suspects boarded a ship anchored in the mid sea at Tangalle.

A few years ago a vessel, MV Sun Sea carrying over 490 Sri Lankans illegally entered the British Colombia Islands in Canada. Many of them had sought asylum in Canada. The cargo ship was used earlier by the LTTE to smuggle arms, ammunition and explosives from a South Eastern country. The ship was first sighted at the Bay of Thailand and intelligence agencies alerted the Australian government.

But later the ship diverted its course and sailed towards the British Colombia Islands in Canada. When the ship arrived in Canadian territorial waters, the Canadian authorities intercepted the ship and took its passengers for questioning.

While several passengers were granted asylum in Canada those with links to the former LTTE and those who had committed crimes were investigated, sources said.International law enforcement agencies have found that human trafficking and other transnational crimes were committed by international criminal gangs involved in smuggling of drugs, armaments and money laundering.