Eleven Sri Lankan Tamil refugees were today arrested in the district along with an agent with whose help they planned to set out on an illegal voyage to Australia, police said.
The refugees, residing in three different camps in the state, were arrested at Oothukadu near here based on information from locals about their suspicious movements.
Police also arrested Jothi Raja, a person of Sri Lankan origin who came to the country in 1983 and has acquired Indian citizenship, living in Oothukadu. He used to charge some money from refugees to sending them off to Australia.
According to police, the refugees along with three women and as many children were to be to taken to midsea in a boat from Cuddalore and transferred to ships bound for Australia.
However, their plan was foiled as local people alerted police about movements of strangers.
All the arrested, including Raja, have been lodged in a special camp at nearby Chengalpattu, while the women and children were sent back to their respective camps, they said.
Instances of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees from Tamil Nadu attempting to reach Australia, eyeing greener pastures, have been on the rise in recent years and several have been left in lurch by the agents who lure them.
The Australian Government has warned such illegal emigrants, saying they would be deported.
