Post date: Oct 06, 2012 5:51:18 PM
Police in South India say they have broken up a trafficking ring in which would-be migrants were offered new lives in Australia in exchange for large fees.
MANGALORE, KARNATAKA, INDIA (SEPTEMBER 08, 2012) (ANI) - Detectives in the South Indian city of Mangalore in Karnataka trumpeted the breaking up of ahuman trafficking ring on Saturday (September 8).
The City Crime Bureau officers said they had arrested 13 traffickers who had planned to ship 84 people to Australia.
Local Indian media, quoting police, said those rescued, who from video appeared to be mostly men, were from Sri Lanka and had fled to India during the Tamil Tiger revolt in the early 1990's.One, who spoke to reporters, said he was an MBA graduate who had been assured a lucrative job inAustralia.
"The agent could not be communicated or approached directly. There would be some mediator between us and the agent, saying that we should pay rupees one lakh- then they will be assuring that we go toAustralia. Since 2009 many of us have gone to Australia and we were ensured - they (victims in Australia) had mailed the photos, they called on our mobile phones and assured that they were safe in Australia," the man, who gave his name as Ram, said.
The police said the men had been assured citizenship of either Australia or Sri Lanka, depending on which they chose, local media said.