Detected Just Before Boarding Flight

 

The early morning bustle at Bandaranaike International Airport was routine—passengers lining up at check-in counters, security personnel scanning for unusual behavior. Among the crowd was a man in his late 30s, dressed in a simple white shirt and jeans, carrying a small duffle bag. His eyes darted around, scanning the area as he made his way toward immigration. His ticket read: Colombo to Dubai, Flight EK349.

But what he didn’t know was that his name had already raised red flags.

A week earlier, on February 8, in the quiet town of Ariyakulam, Jaffna, a man had been forcibly taken from his home. Hours later, he was found abandoned by the roadside, bruised and shaken. The real shock came when he revealed that he had been robbed of Rs. 8.478 million—cash he had withdrawn just days before. The Jaffna Police launched an immediate investigation, combing through security footage and witness statements. One name surfaced repeatedly: Thivakaran Kumar, a known associate of organized crime in the region.

By the time the police issued a lookout notice, Thivakaran was already planning his escape. He knew that once he was out of the country, slipping into the underworld of Dubai’s crime network would be easy. All he needed was to get past the airport undetected.

As he approached immigration, a sharp-eyed officer received a silent alert. A moment later, two plainclothes officers stepped in.

", could you come with us for a moment?"

Thivakaran barely had time to react before he was escorted to a restricted area. Within minutes, Jaffna Police were on the line, confirming his identity.

The flight to Dubai took off without him. Instead, he was on a different journey—one that ended in handcuffs, heading straight back to Jaffna for questioning. The game was over.