Six Sri Lankan refugees detained in India while attempting to flee illegally

Tamil Nadu Q branch police have detained six Sri Lankan Tamils, including a 10-year-old boy, when they attempted to flee to Sri Lanka from Danushkodi in an illegal ferry.

Police said the Lankan Tamils, who came to Tamil Nadu in different years and were residing in Chennai, came to Danushkodi near Kothandaramar Temple on Monday evening to board a boat for the ferry when Q branch police team detained them.

On being handed over, the Danushkodi police arrested them under the sections of Passport (entry into India) Rules, 1950 and section 14 of Foreigners Act. The arrested were identified as S. Satheesan, 49, his wife Dilakshana, 31, from Jaffna, S. Sudhakaran, 39, his wife Chandramathi, 36, a 10-year-old son from Trincomalee and Udhayakumar alias Udayan alias Anbu, 40, from Trincomalee.

Police seized from them Sri Lankan passports, Aadhaar cards, mobile phones, SIM cards and Indian and Sri Lankan currency notes. Police said Satheesan and his wife flew down to Tamil Nadu in 2012 with valid passports and overstayed without registration at the local police station. Sudhakaran and his wife landed clandestinely in 2013 and Udayakumar, also in an illegal ferry in 2018, police said.

Satheesan, Dilakshana and Sudhakaran had obtained Aadhaar cards by giving Madurai address, police said. They were staying in Thirunindravur and Uthandi on the outskirts of Chennai and Velachery, police said.

After Dilakshana’s brother called her up last week and said their father was unwell, she and her husband tried to return.

After they realized that returning through the proper channel would cost ₹ 3 lakh, her brother said he would arrange a boat and they could ferry from Danushkodi. Later, Sudhakaran’s family and Udayakumar also decided to join them, police said. They reached Rameswaram on Sunday night and stayed in a lodge with the help of an agent, police said.

Source: The Hindu