Thiruvananthapuram: Eleven Sri Lankans who were planning to sail to Canada in a fishing vessel have been arrested from a hotel in Kollam.
After a tip off from the Tamil Nadu Q Branch Police, the Kerala Police made the arrests on Monday, informed sources said.
Of the 11, two had reached Kollam from Tamil Nadu after the expiry of their tourist visa period two weeks ago.
Tracing their phone signals, the Tamil Nadu Q Branch located the two in Kollam.
When the Kerala Police raided a Kollam hotel, the two were held along with nine other Sri Lankans who told the authorities that they landed in Tamil Nadu’s coast as refugees.
They said they gave Rs 2.5 lakh each to a Colombo-based agent to send them to Canada.