Investigation started by India of Srilankan boat intercepted with drugs-weapons over LTTE's revival

An ongoing probe by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the recent seizure of narcotics, weapons and ammunition has led to speculation that an international drug running and weapon trading racket is aimed at reviving the Sri Lankan Tamil separatist group LTTE, Indian media reported on Tuesday (Aug. 31).

The case is linked to the interception of a boat carrying the contraband on March 18 by the Indian Coast Guard following an intelligence input, according to The Indian Express. A total of 300 kg heroin, five AK-47 rifles and 1,000 live rounds of 9mm ammunition had been recovered by the officials off the coast of Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram.

The mastermind behind the operation was Sri Lankan Tamil Suresh Rajan, a resident of Colombo who had been living at Kundrathur, a Chennai suburb, for some time.

Multiple sources in Kerala and Tamil Nadu intelligence agencies said they failed to closely look at the case as it was being probed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). “The NCB was about to chargesheet six Sinhalese who were on board when NIA stepped in and probed further,” said an intelligence officer attached to Kerala Police.

The NIA probe would later find that six Sinhalese were labourers. Meanwhile, Rajan was arrested from Angamaly, Kerala in August and was later taken into custody by the Tamil Nadu Q-branch for his links with LTTE groups still active in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.