SL refugees: TN Police turn a blind eye

9 June 2012 06:37 am Views - 2753

India’s central intelligence agencies are pointing fingers at Tamil Nadu police for abetting movement of refugees to state from camps in Rameswaram and Chennai.

"The Tamil Nadu police are turning a blind eye on Lankan Tamils moving from refugee camps to Kerala. It's not possible for refugees in such large numbers to avoid detection of the police. We strongly believe that the Tamil Nadu police are discreetly allowing refugees to come to Kerala," said a senior official of the Intelligence Bureau. The suspicion of the intelligence officials was strengthened after they questioned Senthuran (38) of Kandy, Sri Lanka, a kingpin of the racket that helped Sri Lankan Tamils to illegally travel to Australia from the Kerala coast.

Senthuran was arrested from Chennai by a Kerala Police team in September 2011 after they nabbed 39 Sri Lankan Tamils who attempted to go to Australia from Kerala on a fishing boat. He was interrogated by a team of central intelligence officials as he was suspected of being a LTTE sympathiser.

"We have communicated the matter to the Tamil Nadu police as we cannot believe that the refugees have travelled to Kerala without coming under the scanner of the Tamil Nadu intelligence wing," the official added.

Last week, the Kerala police detained 151 Sri Lankan Tamils from Kollam who were planning to illegally flee from the Kerala coast in fishing boats. According to the Kerala police, nearly 300 Sri Lankan Tamils have come to Kerala over the last two years to illegally sail from the state.(Times of India)