Tiger Cycle Crackdown in Tamil Nadu

(August 09, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The State police, which has intensified its surveillance on Sri Lankan nationals , arrested six persons near Thirumangalam Friday night.

Interrogations are on to figure out whether they had been supplying arms and ammunition to the banned terrorist organisation LTTE.

The names of the arrested were given as Selvam, Prathibam, Aruldas, Dinesh Kumar, Saal and Dhanushan.

In the last few weeks, police arrested four LTTE men in connection with three cases.

Following this, in an effort to initiate a crackdown on the LTTE militants trying to re-establish supply links in the State, police have been deployed for regular night patrolling.

In one such patrol, police intercepted a speeding Tata Sumo in which eight persons were found travelling. Enquiries with them revealed that three of them - Selvam, Prathibam and Aruldas - belonged to a refugee camp at Kavangarai near Puzhal.

And two others Dinesh Kumar and Saal were residing at Red Hills. They claimed that they took a car to pick up one of their friends Dhanushan from Vasantham colony, Thirumangalam.

They said they were setting out on a jolly ride.

However, asked about their purpose of stay in the city, they failed to give a convincing reply. Later, a search in the car yielded a new number plate.

When enquired about it, they gave out contradictory answers and stated that the number plate was kept for renewal. Later the registration number was found to be belonging to another vehicle.

Becoming increasingly suspicious, the police took the six persons into custody

Interrogations are now on to ascertain their alleged connection with the LTTE and how they managed to come out of the refugee camp during late nights.

It may be noted that the State has more than 120 Sri Lankan nationals who are overstaying their visa period.

On Tuesday night, police arrested two Sri Lankan youth, who were part of a procurement module of the banned outfit, and seized from them material used for making explosives on 6 August.

They were Uma Ramanan (23) and Amalan (21) and recovered 1.5 kg of potassium nitrate powder, a solar light, a few spark plugs and wires were taken from their possession.

The two were part of a procurement module of the LTTE and were nabbed from a rented house at Tirumangalam.

The capture of the two was the latest in a series of arrests of LTTE cadres, including its procurement wing chief Thambianna alias Daniel, and Sri Lankan nationals besides local associates in the past few weeks in the State.

A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee Selvakumar was arrested from suburban Keelkattalai area on 4 August on charges of trying to supply electronic gadgets to the LTTE.

Police later recovered communication gadgets like two power units, and nine internet phone adaptors among other accessories from his room at Kelambakkam
- Sri Lanka Guardian