Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi: Sanal Edamaruku, founder of Rationalist International, has been detained in Poland in connection with a 2018 visa fraud case.

The arrest follows a Red Corner Notice issued by Interpol, based on a complaint filed by Prameela Devi, a government employee from Alappuzha, Kerala. Edamaruku, who has been residing in Finland since 2012, was taken into custody at Warsaw Modlin Airport on March 28 upon his arrival in Poland to attend a human rights conference. India has since submitted a formal request for his extradition.

According to the complaint, Edamaruku allegedly collected ₹15 lakh from Prameela Devi in 2018, promising to arrange a visa to Finland. However, he neither delivered the visa nor returned the money. The case is currently under trial at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Alappuzha. As Edamaruku has been living abroad, Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice in 2020 based on an arrest warrant issued by the court.

Known for his outspoken campaigns against superstition and self-styled godmen, Edamaruku is the founder of Rationalist International and serves as the president of the Indian Rationalist Association.