Fifteen Tamil girls arrested in Mannar released

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 August 2005, 12:10 GMT]
Fifteen Tamil girls arrested Monday early morning in a combined search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Police in a house which is located in the village of Thullukuddiruppu in Mannar district were released when they found innocent during interrogation. The girls were arrested on wrong information received by the Sri Lanka Navy, said the Mannar Police in its report furnished in the Mannar Magistrate Court Tuesday afternoon, legal sources said.

The girls were not produced in court.

The Police in its report submitted to court the arrested girls had submitted necessary legal documents for their stay in the house. They had been working in a coir factory managed under a UNDP project, Police said in its report.

Soon after their arrest the Police said Monday that they were being interrogated whether they were members of the LTTE and staying in the house for a particular purpose.

Security forces conducted a lightning raid on the house and took these girls into custody with their belongings and food materials they were having at that time, sources said.