Two aides of Sri Lankan gangsters held

Bengaluru: A city-based travel agent, who allegedly got a fake Indian passport for a Sri Lankan drug and contract killing cartel leader, and a Chennai businessman, who arranged safe haven for three gangsters from the island nation in Bengaluru, were arrested by Central Crime Branch (CCB) police on Friday.On Wednesday, the sleuths had arrested from a flat in Yelahanka the three Sri Lankan gangsters — Kasan Kumara Sanka, 36, from Gampaha, EWA Amil Nuwan alias Gotha Asanka, 36, and Ranga Prasad alias Chutta, 36, both from Colombo. The cops had also arrested K Jai Paramesh, 42, from Bagalur near Yelahanka, for sheltering the trio in the flat. Paramesh had been arrested earlier in 2015 in a murder case. The three Sri Lankan fugitives had stopped over in the city to prepare to travel to Nepal, CCB sources said. Their leader and prime suspect Jalal alias Siddiqui of Colombo has already reached Oman, police said, adding that the gang had fled Lanka following a gang war. Friday’s detainees — ASK Mansoor Ali from Chennai and travel agent M Anbazhagan from Vivek Nagar — allegedly aided the Lankan fugitives. CCB police seized Rs 57 lakh cash and a Rs 1.5-crore DD from Ali, who claims to have had an LeD bulb-making factory on the outskirts of Bengaluru which he recently sold. “Ali claims the cash and DD were given by the purchaser. We are yet to establish the claim,” a sleuth said. “Anbazhagan, who ran his office ‘Horizon Enterprises’ in Koramangala, helped Jalal alias Siddiqui in procuring Indian passport through fake documents. Using the same passport, Jalal alias Siddiqui flew to Oman a few months back,” police said.Preliminary investigation revealed that Ali had acted on behalf of Jalal and contacted Paramesh a while back. tnn