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Indian High Commission, Interpol unaware of armed Lankan group

14 Jun 2021

By Dinitha Rathnayake   The High Commission of India in Colombo is unaware of the incident related to the tightening of security along the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu on 12 June following information that armed men sailing on a boat from Sri Lanka planned to enter the State with a sinister design. Sources said that the High Commission is only aware of the media reports now and that therefore, they have no update on this issue. The Hindu website reported that according to police sources, the alert was issued by a coastal security agency after a caller from Sri Lanka informed a police station in Madurai City that the men in possession of assault rifles were heading towards the Rameswaram coast. Investigators were attempting to verify the caller’s identity and establish the identity of the suspects whose names were given as Ameer, Bharkath, and Naseer. The Police were co-ordinating with coastal security and intelligence agencies to establish the veracity of the alert. Random checks were being conducted in remote buildings along the eastern coastline, according to the reports. Intelligence sources in the Kerala Police have indicated that they have also stepped up vigil across the coastal towns of the State after tip-offs from the agencies. However, when The Morning contacted the Sri Lanka Army and the Defence Ministry, both noted that they had read these media reports and that the Government of Sri Lanka would send a media release after investigations, since this is a sensitive matter. Accordingly, Police Media Spokesman Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Ajith Rohana also said that the Interpol is not aware of this incident. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Police arrested 23 Sri Lankan nationals from an industrial complex near Madurai after they illegally landed in Thoothukudi without any travel documents in April, on their way to Canada. Acting on a tip-off, the Q-Branch Police arrested the 23 foreigners, including two Sinhalese, on 10 June from a vehicle parts building unit at an industrial estate, a police officer told The Hindu. The Lankan nationals, aged between 20 years and 44 years, were promised lucrative jobs in Canada. Most of them were residents of Mullaitivu. An individual from Sri Lanka, Mayuran alias Kannan, had taken them in three fibre boats on 27 April and dropped them in a launch, mid sea. However, they landed in Thoothukudi and were secretly brought to Madurai.


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