Mangalore: Police in Mangalore have cracked down on a human trafficking racket, the first major one in Karnataka, and have arrested 13 persons in connection with the case, while rescuing about 80 people who were supposed to be taken to Australia through a mechanized boat, after promising them jobs.

Informing this to reporters, Western Range IGP Pratap Reddy said the accused had lured the people, mainly Srilankan refugees including 22 women and six children with a promise of jobs in Australia as also Asutralian citizenship. It is learnt, they had collected anywhere between Rs 30,000 to Rs one lakh from each of them.

The 13 accused are: C Dinesh Kumar (27), Tamil Nadu, Rajeev Gandhi alias Kaandan (28), Tamil Nadu, Maria Jamsan (22), Tamil Nadu, Shivakumar (28), Madurai, Shajahan (33), Palakkad, Mahendran (41), Tamil Nadu, S Suresh (26), Padukote, Thavarassa (46), Sri Lanka, Mariya Siran (33), Padukote, Siraj (37), Koyamuthur, Yakoob (40), Tamil Nadu, and Saleem (28), Tamil Nadu.
The IGP informed that  the accused had purchased a boat named Shri Raksha after paying Rs 11.5 lakhs from one Madhava Suvarna to take the men and women to Asutralia.

Police have seized  Rs 2.84 lakhs from them apart from 10 mobile phones and refugee camp IDs. Attempts to transport refugees to Australia were made by the accused earlier too, once from Kollam and the second time from Ponnani from Kerala and the third attempt led to their arrests.

Tamil Nadu police officials are expected to arrive in Mangalore on Sunday