Three cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were arrested by the ‘Q’ Branch police in Tiruchipalli, India. Large quantities of ordinary and electric detonators were seized from them.

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 here for a meeting. They had reportedly planned to smuggle explosives to Sri Lanka in association with Suri alias Kannan, a Sri Lankan Tamil of 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. About 4,900 ordinary detonators and 430 electric detonators were seized from their possession.

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

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 at Chennai.

^{The Hindu}