Migration Scams Rampant in Sri Lanka-by Niruni de Mel Source:Thuppahis in The Island, 16 February 2024 … where the title runs thus: “Scammed and Stranded: The Dark Side of Sri Lanka’s Migration Industry” A fisherman from the quiet town of Mannar sold his mother’s, sisters’, and sister-in-law’s jewelry and, with a loan from his brother, paid a migration agent Rs. 12.8 million for a Canadian visa. Months later, he discovered the agent had vanished, leaving his family in crippling debt and his dreams in ruins. His story is not unique. Across Sri Lanka, countless desperate individuals fall prey to fraudulent migration schemes, losing their life savings in the process. The Rise of Migration Fraud Within the districts of Mannar, Mulativu, and Batticaloa, over 320 million rupees have been stolen under the guise of issuing visas, highlighting the alarming scale of migration fraud in Sri Lanka. As of October 2024, as many as 95 cases have been lodged with the ...