The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday apprehended a key suspect, Seeni Aabulkhan, in connection with a Sri Lankan human trafficking case. Aabulkhan had been evading arrest for the past three years.
The investigation revealed that Aabulkhan, along with his associates, was involved in illegally confining trafficked victims on a boat before sending them to Mangaluru for further detention. The case dates back to June 2021 when Mangaluru Police rescued 13 Sri Lankan nationals from human traffickers. Following this, the NIA took over the investigation and re-registered the case.
The probe uncovered that Aabulkhan worked with a Sri Lankan national named Eesan, who is believed to be the leader of the trafficking racket with connections to the terror outfit LTTE. Together, they orchestrated the illegal transportation of 38 Sri Lankan nationals to various parts of Tamil Nadu. The victims were falsely promised jobs in Canada and assured they would receive legitimate documents for migration.
Since October 2021, the NIA has filed chargesheets against 10 individuals involved in the case, with investigations continuing. Efforts to apprehend the remaining three suspects, who are still at large, are ongoing.
In a similar case in July, the NIA arrested four key suspects in Delhi who were involved in luring and trafficking young Indians abroad by promising them lucrative jobs.
