New Delhi: A three-member team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will soon visit Sri Lanka to investigate a case of a possible revival of the Liberation Tiger of Tamil Elam (LTTE). The development took place following the fact that the investigation agency arrested several people from Tamil Nadu for their involvement in the arms and drugs seizure case. It may be recalled that the NIA took over the probe of arms and drugs smuggling racket in July 2022.
The three-member NIA team to be headed by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) level officer will interact with the Sri Lankan investigative agency. "During their stay in Sri Lanka, the team will interact with the law enforcement agency. At the same time, they will visit some places, which are populated by LTTE sympathisers," a senior NIA official said.
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The investigation of the arrested accused has revealed that they have been working in connivance with the local people of Sri Lanka. The NIA investigation so far has revealed that LTTE sympathisers are working to revive the LTTE in nexus with the arms and drugs smugglers based in Tamil Nadu, the official said. The NIA, according to sources, is also in touch with the State intelligence agencies of Tamil Nadu.
"We need to work in coordination with the Tamil Nadu-based security agencies as local intelligence inputs would help us in a big way in this case," the official said. Ever since NIA took over the case in 2022, the agency has so far arrested 14 people in this connection. On Thursday, the agency arrested drug peddler Ayyappan Nandhu, who was working in connivance with an LTTE sympathiser from Tamil Nadu. Following the arrest, NIA seized Rs 68 lakhs of Indian currency, 1,000 Singapore dollars, and nine gold biscuits. "Following the registration of the case in July 2022, the NIA earlier arrested 13 people for their involvement in the arms and drugs business earlier," the NIA official said.
