The Trincomalee Police took into custody 63 males who had been provided with accommodation at Orr’s Hill Trincomalee and were planning to illegally migrate to New Zealand by sea.
This raid was carried out based on a tip-off received by the Trincomalee Unit of the State Intelligence Service. The Police also arrested a woman who had arrived from Kilinochchi together with her child, to cook for these 63 persons, while at the place of accommodation.
The owner of the accommodation had been operating this racket and the Police have launched an investigation to find out whether there are other racketeers who are involved. The 63 suspects were residents of the North and the East and it is said that a majority were residents of Jaffna.
Police said that these suspects had packed for a long sea journey, with required clothing and coats to be worn in cold weather and there was a large quantity of luggage. The racketeers had charged each person sums ranging from Rs. 2.5 million to Rs. 4 million on the promise that they would be sent to New Zealand. The police also said that these persons are being questioned to find out whether they had to pay money in advance.
A team of officers from the Crimes Division is carrying out further investigation under Trincomalee acting Headquarters Chief Inspector Hashim on the instructions of Trincomalee Division’s Senior Superintendent (SSP) Prasanna Brahmanage.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
, Local, ,