Indian police arrest LTTE cadres trying to smuggle explosives to Sri Lanka

The 'Q' Branch of India's Tamil Nadu police during a raid at Tiruchirapalli Sunday have arrested three LTTE intelligence wing members who had attempted to smuggle explosives to Sri Lanka, Indian media has reported today (21).

According to the today's edition of The Hindu, the cadres had reportedly procured the explosive materials over a period and stocked them illegally for transport to Sri Lanka.

A cache of detonators including 4,900 ordinary detonators and 430 electric detonators were seized from them, an Indian official release has said.

According to The Hindu report, Siva alias Mahindan alias Ilaiya Mahindan (33) and Tamil alias Tamilselvan alias Sathish (38), both said to be members of the intelligence wing of the LTTE, and Selvam alias Painter Selvam (40), a LTTE cadre, were arrested when they assembled for a meeting.

They had reportedly planned to smuggle explosives to Sri Lanka in association with Suri alias Kannan, a Sri Lankan Tamil in Chennai, and a few others.

Siva had been staying at Chennai for more than a year while Selvam had been residing at Erode, both without registering themselves with the police. Tamilselvan had been staying in Tiruchi city.

They had reportedly procured the explosive materials over a period and stocked them illegally for transport to Sri Lanka. The sources have said the materials were in Tiruchi as the trio could not smuggle them to Sri Lanka due to strict vigil in the coastal areas. A case has been registered in this regard and further investigations were on, the sources said.

The Indian media states that the trio had allegedly smuggled explosive substances to the LTTE at the height of the war in Sri Lanka earlier.

Highly placed sources said the trio had no plans to indulge in any subversive act in India. The arrest of the trio comes in the wake of the capture of Chiranjeevi Master, an intelligence wing cadre of the LTTE by the 'Q' Branch a few days ago in Chennai.