The National Investigation Agency arrested Pudumadam Imran at Kempegowda International Airport after Sri Lankan authorities deported him to India in connection with a human trafficking case involving an alleged plan to send Sri Lankan nationals to Canada using fake documents.
Imran was detained in Sri Lanka after an Interpol red notice was issued at the NIA’s request, according to the agency. He was repatriated to India and arrested at Bengaluru airport on Thursday after arriving from the island nation.
The NIA has alleged that Imran was part of a conspiracy to traffic Sri Lankan nationals to Canada on the false promise that their travel would be arranged with valid documents. The agency said he collected money from the victims’ family members and transferred funds through hawala channels to co-accused persons in India.
The case came to light after police raided a premises in Mangaluru and found Sri Lankan nationals staying there without valid documents. The discovery brought together three linked elements of the investigation: the movement of foreign nationals through Karnataka, alleged document-based promises of overseas travel and the transfer of money through informal channels.
The arrest at Bengaluru airport also illustrates the role of international immigration and law-enforcement coordination in cases that move across jurisdictions. The red notice enabled Sri Lankan authorities to detain Imran, while his deportation brought him within the jurisdiction of Indian investigators for the next stage of the case.
The NIA said the alleged trafficking operation involved the false promise of arranging travel to Canada with valid documentation. The agency’s account describes a network in which family members of prospective victims were allegedly made to pay money, while funds were transferred to other accused persons in India through hawala channels.
Two other accused persons have already been arrested in the case. Seeni Aabul Khan was arrested in 2024, while Imran Khan was arrested in 2025, according to the NIA. The agency’s latest action brings Pudumadam Imran, who had been absconding, into the investigation.
The proceedings will now depend on the investigation and the legal process following the arrest. The NIA is expected to examine Imran’s alleged role, the money transfers and the wider network connected to the Sri Lankan nationals found in Mangaluru.
