NIA nabs key accused, who was on run for 3 yrs, part of international human trafficking syndicate

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested a key accused involved in the trans-national human trafficking case run by a Sri Lankan having previous links with the LTTE terror outfit, according to an official statement.

The accused Seeni Aabulkhan was nabbed from Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, it said.

Investigations found that he, along with his associates, was involved in confining the trafficked victims in a boat in high sea before sending them to Mangalore (or Mangaluru) by train, car and bikes for further confinement, said the statement issued by the NIA.

"Three years after he had absconded, the NIA on Saturday arrested a key accused in the Sri Lankan human trafficking case run by a Sri Lankan with links with LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) terror organisation," it said.

The NIA took over the case, which was originally registered by the Mangaluru City Police, after searches led to the rescue of 13 Sri Lankan nationals from the traffickers earlier in June 2021.

The NIA investigations revealed one Sri Lankan, identified as Eesan and having previous links with the terror outfit LTTE, to be the kingpin of the racket.

"He had colluded with the accused to illegally bring 38 Sri Lankan nationals from Sri Lanka to various locations within Tamil Nadu after luring them with false promises," the probe agency said.

Besides the promise of helping them obtain legitimate documentation for migration to Canada, they were lured with employment opportunities, as per the NIA investigations.

Following detailed investigations, the NIA had charge sheeted 10 accused, including three absconders, between October 2021 and January 2024. Further investigations are continuing to apprehend the remaining absconders, it added.