Mangaluru (Karnataka): The case in which 38 Sri Lankan nationals were detained in Mangaluru last month has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency. The suspicion if the detained had any connections with the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) has triggered the decision of handing over this case to the anti-terrorism investigation agency though the case was initially booked as human trafficking.
Mangaluru city police on June 10 detained 38 Sri Lankan nationals residing in the lodges and rented houses in the city.
All the 38 detained are Sri Lankan Tamils hailing from northern Sri Lanka where the LTTE was active during the Sri Lankan civil war. Investigation revealed that they have travelled from Sri Lanka on an illegal ferry and reached Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin in March after a Sri Lankan agent promised to send them to Canada. Each of them was charged Rs 5 to 10 lakhs.
From Tuticorin, they were taken to Bengaluru by bus and later were lodged in Mangaluru. After they were detained, they were booked on human trafficking charges and a case has been registered in Tamil Nadu as well.
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