International Trafficking Syndicate Member Arrested by Anti-Terror Agency

The NIA took over the case that was originally registered by the Mangaluru City Police. The accused, Seeni Aabulkhan, was arrested from Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu.

According to the statement issued by the NIA, investigations revealed that Aabulkhan and his associates were involved in confining trafficked victims in a boat at high sea before transporting them to Mangalore (or Mangaluru) by train, car, and bikes for further confinement. Moreover, the NIA arrested a key accused in the Sri Lankan human trafficking case, three years after he had absconded.

This case was linked to a Sri Lankan with connections to the LTTE terror organization. The NIA’s involvement began after 13 Sri Lankan nationals were rescued from the traffickers in June 2021.

The investigations uncovered that a Sri Lankan named Eesan, who had previous links to the LTTE, was the mastermind of the racket. The probe agency stated that Eesan colluded with the accused to smuggle 38 Sri Lankan nationals from Sri Lanka to different locations in Tamil Nadu, luring them with false promises.

The NIA revealed that the victims were promised legitimate documentation for migration to Canada, as well as employment opportunities. A total of 10 accused, including three absconders, were charge-sheeted by the NIA between October 2021 and January 2024.

The agency is continuing its investigations to apprehend the remaining absconders. *(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.

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