Colombo, July 01: In their biggest ever crackdown on people smuggling, Sri Lankan Navy today arrested 256 Pakistanis and detained a cargo ship that was trying to illegally ferry them to Italy. Navy personnel boarded a 70-metre-long ship just off the island's southern coast and arrested 185 men, while in two other raids onboard a trawler and on shore another 71 Pakistanis were detained, police said.

The arrests were made by the navy and the police in a joint operation at Kudawella, 200 kilometres south of Colombo.

The Pakistan nationals had arrived in Sri Lanka to take the illegal ferry to Italy, officials said. The ship with its six-man foreign crew has also been detained by the navy for further investigations.

Last month, police arrested 12 Bangladeshis from Colombo who were trying to board a fishing boat that was to illegally take them to Italy.

With Sri Lanka easing visa restrictions for those from SAARC countries, there had been a flood of people from the region trying to use the island nation as a transit point to illegally migrate to Europe. The fees for ferrying people to Europe or Australia range from 150,000 to 300,000 rupees (1,550 to 3,125 dollar) for a one-way trip aboard a trawler.

Bureau Report