Shaji Purushotaman, businessman and accused in the Chennai hit and run case in which a 13-year-old boy was killed, was arrested at Nedumbassery airport in Kochi on Thursday.
Shaji had arrived at the airport by a flight from Colombo, airport sources said.
The Chennai police took him into custody and later handed him over to the airport police.
Justice S S Sateeshchandran of Kerala high court had on Thursday dismissed Shaji's anticipatory bail application after accepting the state government's plea that the place of occurrence of the crime was not within the territorial jurisdiction of court.
The Madras High Court had earlier rejected Shaji's anticipatory bail application.
The case against Shaji is that on May 23 he drove a car in a rash and negligent manner under the influence of liqour and ran over three children sleeping on the pavement.
A 13-year old boy was killed and another critically injured in the incident.