BENGALURU: The National Investigation Agency(NIA) on Wednesday arrested accused Pudumadam Imran (A-15), who had evaded arrest and was absconding in the Sri Lanka human trafficking case, from Kempegowda International Airport. He had been detained on the basis of a Red
Notice issued by INTERPOL at the request of NIA, and was repatriated to India by Sri Lankan authorities, following which he was arrested by NIA in Bengaluru.
“The accused had actively participated in the conspiracy to traffic the victims from Sri Lanka with the false promise of taking them to Canada with valid documents, for which he collected money from their family members or relatives.
He sent money through hawala channels to co-accused persons in India for the trafficking and confinement of the victims,” the NIA stated in an official release.
The case pertains to raids conducted by local police at some premises in Mangaluru, based on credible information, uncovering Sri Lankan citizens without valid documents.
A case was registered (103/2021) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Foreigners’ Act and Passport Act. Subsequently, on July 13, 2021, the NIA had re-registered the case as RC-17/2021/NIA/DLI under sections 120B, 370 and 420 of the IPC, Section 14 of the Foreigners’ Act and Section 12(1A) of the Passport Act.
“Earlier in the case, two absconding accused, Seeni Aabul Khan (A-9) and Imran Khan (A-7), were arrested in 2024 and 2025, respectively, and are currently facing trial before the special court for NIA cases, Bengaluru,” added the central counter terrorism agency.