"Early this morning naval patrolling crafts detected two trawlers with suspected illegal immigrants northeast off Trincomalee. They were arrested and brought to Trincomalee harbour", Navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya said.
The Navy said one boat carried 39 people and the other 43.
Two women and two children were among those arrested.
Last Saturday, the police arrested 40 people in the eastern Batticaloa district's Vakarai while they were readying to leave for Australia through illegal means.
