RAMANATHAPURAM: The Sri Lankan woman Usha of Mannar, who was kept in a quarantine at Mandapam for one year, was sent back to Sri Lanka along with her daughter Nira, recently.
An intelligence source said Usha of Mannar district, had come to Katchatheevu along with her daughter to participate in the St Antony’s church festival in 2012. However, those who came with her left and she was stranded with her daughter in the islet.
Some Good Samaritans from among the fishermen, who spotted the woman, brought her to Rameswaram. During the police verification conducted with the devotees and tourists at Rameswaram, the police team detained her. Later, cops produced the woman and her daughter before Rameswaram court which ordered to lodge them in the Tiruchy prison.
Recently, Usha was released after one year of imprisonment. Following an appeal from the woman, who expressed her desire to return to her homeland, the government granted exit permit last month.
Usha was then taken to Madurai with police security and was sent back to Sri Lanka along with her child by a plane.
Meanwhile, the Q branch personnel during a routine exercise recently conducted a check in Mandapam camp to find out if any refugee is missing from the facility.
The Mandapam transit camp accommodates more than 2,000 Sri Lankan Tamils, including women and children.
This exercise is being done at regular intervals as some refugees attempted to sail to Australia by illegal ferry. Besides this, the check is done as part of security measures for the Independence Day. The refugees would not be allowed to come out of the camp on Independence Day as a precautionary measure, officials said.