At least 23 Sri Lankan nationals, all believed to be Tamils from the war affected North & East of the island nation were taken into custody by the police in Kerala state. Among those arrested so far are 4 women and a child.
They have been promised safe passage to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand by agents in Sri Lanka and India, said police.
Acting on an intelligence tip-off from their counterparts in Tamil Nadu, local police rounded up these individuals who are expected to be produced in court.
A senior official on condition of anonymity said these persons were taken into custody from a hotel close to the beach in the eastern part of the city of Kollam and other hideouts, in a joint operation by the police of both the states coordinated by the Indian federal government.
A larger manhunt for alleged human trafficking has been launched by the federal and state police forces.
Police say, those arrested could be part of a larger group who have either arrived in the city or its adjoining areas in small batches and once all the members of the entourage have reached, they were likely to board a large vessel for travelling towards the destinations.
Since the detained Sri Lankan Tamils are unable to converse in English or the local state language of Malayalam, an official from the city of Kochi was called to Kollam to interrogate them in Tamil.
Local journalists in Kerala say, the rounding up operation is continuing and more arrests are likely.
Among the 23 Sri Lankan Tamils in custody, 2 flew into Chennai on a tourist visa on 19 August and the rest came as refugees and were staying in the refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. All of them have alleged to have reached Kollam on various dates and then joined together.
Based on another tip-off relatives of two detained persons said to be staying in the refugee camps in Rameswaram and Pondicherry are also being talked to find out their whereabouts.
A team of more than 10 senior officials, including one who doubled as an interpreter, are interrogating the detained Sri Lankan nationals after which they are likely to be produced in court.
Police say they have identified a person in Colombo whom they name as the alleged kingpin behind the operation. The fleeing Lankans have apparently paid large sums to leave the country. Officials are tightlipped about queries if the information has been shared with their Sri Lankan counterparts.
