The Navy along with the Special Task Force (STF) apprehended 40 persons including five females and a boy attempting to leave the country illegally in separate detections made at different locations both at sea and land in the Batticoloa area on Wednesday this week, officials said.
They said a group of 19 persons that included one female and a 12-year-old boy were taken-off from a multi-day fishing vessel by a navy patrol on the seas off Kalawanchikudi in Batticoloa on Wednesday evening.
Two persons identified as the handlers for the group were among those apprehended, the officials said.
In a separation operation carried out by the Navy and STF another 21 persons including four females were nabbed on a beachhead at Dharmapuram and Puthukuduirippu in Kalawanchikudi along with two dinghies.
The group was apparently planning to team up with multi-day trawler for the illegal crossing to a foreign country, the officials said.
Those apprehended were identified as residents of Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya.
The group was later handed over to the local police for follow up action and legal proceedings.
The Navy called on the public to remain vigilant against people smugglers and to refrain from risking their lives and property by embarking on treacherous sea voyages.