Coimbatore police intercepted four Sri Lankan Tamils from various Sri Lankan refugee camps in western Tamil Nadu who were being allegedly escorted to Kochi, Kerala, to be illegally taken to Australia.

Each of them reportedly paid 100,000 Indian rupees to agents and was promised a safe passage to Australia by sea in a vessel from Kochi. All four of them have been handed over to Q branch officials in Erode for further probe.

It has been claimed that they were lodged in Erode for more than a week before they were brought to Coimbatore on May 22. Though police have lodged a complaint of cheating against three persons, the veracity of their version is also being confirmed at the moment.

“We have registered an FIR based on their version but we have to cross examine it. As of now the investigation has been handed over to Q branch officials as per the procedure,” said K Sugumaran, Deputy Commissioner (Crime), Coimbatore City Police.

According to police, four persons, Kantha Kumar (33), Naga Deepan (28), Sankar (31) and Raja Rathinam (34) were found under suspicious circumstances in Kuniamuthur. The local police took them in for questioning and it was revealed that Sankar and Naga Deepan were from the Lankan Tamil refugee camp in Krishnagiri district while Kanthakumar was from a camp in Krishnagiri district. Raja Rathinam came from a camp set up in Trichy district.

They have told the police that they were made to pay 100,000 Indian Rupees to an agent identified as Kalignan to take them to Australia. It is believed that former inmates of these camps were successfully taken to Australia in a similar manner and they had helped them in establishing contact with Kalignan and his agents.

“All of them were grouped together at a private lodge in Erode about 10 days back before they were brought to Coimbatore. They claim that they were promised to be taken to Kochi via Coimbatore by two agents,” said a senior city police official.

Velmurugan, Inspector (Crime), Kuniamuthur police station confirmed that an FIR has been registered against the agents based on the version of the Lankan refugees. But police are yet to officially give a clean chit to them and their version is being re-examined to make sure they had no other motive in coming to Coimbatore. The four refugees were initially taken into custody from Kuniamuthur on the basis of a group of persons moving about in suspicious manner claimed local police officers. They have told the police about Kalignan, Daya and Murali as the individuals who promised them to take them to Australia by sea.

“It seems they were told that a vessel will be ready to pick them up at Kochi but we do not have any other detail about the matter. As of now we have registered an FIR under sections 420 and 406 of the Indian Penal Code,” Murugan added.

All four Lankan Tamils are presently in the custody of Q Branch officials of the state police. - ToI