Man Arrested by Anti-Terror Agency for Involvement in International Trafficking Syndicate

New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday apprehended a primary suspect involved in the international human trafficking case managed by a Sri Lankan with past connections to the LTTE terror group, as per an official report.

The defendant Seeni Aabulkhan was captured from Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, it noted.

Examinations discovered that he, alongside his partners, was engaged in detaining the trafficked victims on a vessel in open sea before transporting them to Mangalore (or Mangaluru) by train, vehicle, and motorcycles for further imprisonment, stated the report issued by the NIA.

“Three years following his disappearance, the NIA on Saturday arrested a key suspect in the Sri Lankan human trafficking case managed by a Sri Lankan with connections to LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) terror organization,” it stated.

The NIA assumed control of the case, which was initially documented by the Mangaluru City Police, subsequent to searches leading to the liberation of 13 Sri Lankan nationals from the traffickers earlier in June 2021.

The NIA investigations disclosed one Sri Lankan, recognized as Eesan and with previous ties to the terror group LTTE, as the mastermind of the scheme.

“He had collaborated with the defendant to unlawfully bring 38 Sri Lankan nationals from Sri Lanka to various locations within Tamil Nadu after enticing them with deceitful assurances,” the investigation agency stated.

In addition to the pledge of aiding them in acquiring legal paperwork for migration to Canada, they were enticed with job prospects, as per the NIA investigations.

Following in-depth investigations, the NIA had filed charges against 10 defendants, including three fugitives, between October 2021 and January 2024. Further investigations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining fugitives, it added.