Sri Lanka Police have busted yet another human trafficking racket operated to send Sri Lankan war veterans to fight as mercenaries in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Officials from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) arrested two persons, a former Army Major General who is identified as the mastermind of the racket, and another Sergeant Major who had aided him.
Both the suspects, aged 67 and 50, are residents of Kurunegala and were arrested by the CID’s Human Trafficking and Maritime Crime Investigation Division.
Previously, two persons, including an Army Major General, were also arrested by the CID for their involvement in a similar human trafficking racket, and are now in remand custody after being produced in court.
Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence yesterday confirmed that a number of its retired war veterans have died or sustained injuries after being sent to the Russian-Ukrainian war front as members of mercenary groups.
The Ministry of Defence said several retired war veterans had been caught in a scheme by some illegal foreign job agents and had been sent to the Russian-Ukrainian war front as members of mercenary groups.
These war veterans had left for the Russian-Ukrainian war front as mercenaries after being duped by these human traffickers who had promised them an opportunity to join the foreign army, handsome salaries, citizenship in those countries and other benefits.
The Defence Ministry made a special request to Sri Lankan war veterans not to be caught in such illegal schemes and put their lives at risk by joining foreign mercenary groups. (Newswire)