More Than 3,000 Sri Lankans Illegally Migrate to India in Six Months

• Many people settled in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

• Human trafficking led by Imran Hajiyar in Sri Lanka and Mohammad Ibrahim in India  

New Delhi – Intelligence agencies have uncovered fresh evidence of infiltration from Sri Lanka into India. Officials have intercepted phone calls linked to a human trafficking gang and arrested key suspects.

Investigations by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) reveal that more than 3,000 Sri Lankans have illegally entered India in the last six months. Many of them are being settled in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Some of them have even gone to Canada. The human trafficking network is operated by Imran Hajiyar in Sri Lanka and Mohammad Ibrahim in India as per the sources report. Ibrahim was arrested on 28.02.2025 and on his interrogation, the nexus of trafficking was exposed.

India used as a ‘Donkey root’ for sending people to Canada

The people from Sri Lanka are brought in fishermen’s boats to Mandapam, in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu where they are taken to a warehouse called the ‘Smuggler Holding Area’.

They are then divided into groups of 20 persons and sent through small boats and trucks to different parts in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Most of them have settled in Bengaluru or Mangalore.

The traffickers charge up to Rs 20 lakhs per person for illegal migration to India and Rs 50 lakhs for those heading to Canada.

Those interested in going to Canada are issued fake Aadhaar cards in India. Sri Lanka is not among the preferred countries for issuing Canadian visas; therefore, they declare themselves as Indian citizens and use the ‘Donkey route’. Sri Lankans manage to get study visas or work permits in Canada.

Aadhaar card made in the name of deceased Indian citizens

Editorial Perspective

It is not possible without the connivance of Administration to get fake Aadhaar Cards for such a large number of intruders; therefore, administrative officers and employees involved in such cases should be suspended and sent to life imprisonment.

Tamil Nadu anti-terrorist squad arrested a few Sri Lankan nationals when they found Indian citizenship documents with them. The human traffickers had given many of them the Aadhaar cards in the name of deceased persons by updating them with new photos. In some cases, Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards were created to establish a fake Indian identity.

Editorial Perspective

It has been once again proved that criminals from minority communities are the majority in crimes. Legal citizens, therefore, expect death sentence for such criminals.