Tamil Nadu: NIA nabs man over attempt to revive LTTE

National Investigation Agency nabbed a person over an attempt to revive the LTTE through illegal drug transactions in India and Shri Lanka

Chennai: The National Investigation Agency nabbed a person over an attempt to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) through illegal drug transactions in India and Shri Lanka, an official statement said on Friday. The accused was identified as Lingam, a resident of Chennai.

“With the arrest of Lingam, a key conspirator in the case in Tamil Nadu, a total of 14 persons have so far landed in the NIA net in the Srilankan illegal drugs and arms trade case registered in July 2022”, the statement added.

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As per the official statement, accused Lingam, was a close associate of another accused Gunasekharan. He acted as a ‘Benami’ for the latter’s illegal transactions involving proceeds of drugs and arms in India and Shri Lanka. The NIA investigations also claimed that Lingam had forged ID documents for members of the racket in an attempt to legitimise their illegal stay in India.

“All the accused in the case were dealing actively in the illegal drugs trade in India and Sri Lanka. They were using the money earned from the drugs trade for funding acquisition and amassing of weapons for the revival of LTTE in the two countries”, the official statement said.

The illegal narcotics were sourced through an absconder, Haji Salim, who is suspected to be based in Pakistan. The LTTE was a Tamil militant organization based in Shri Lanka.