NIA busts plan to revive the LTTE and link it to Tamil nationalism

New Delhi, Mar 30: The National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet against six persons in connection with the LTTE terror funding case.

The six to be charged are Letchumanan Mary Franciska, Kenniston Fernando, Baskaran, Johnson Samuvel, G Dharmendran and E Mohan. The case on hand originally registered by the Q Branch CID Chennai pertains to a criminal conspiracy to revive the LTTE by committing forgery for cheating besides using forged documents as genuine to divert funds lodged in dormant accounts to commit unlawful and terror activities.

The probe was later taken over by the NIA and during investigation it was found that the accused persons had entered into a conspiracy with foreign entities to siphon off deposits in dormant bank accounts by using Indian identity documents obtained fraudulently and forging identity documents to revive, revamp and regroup LTTE in India and Sri Lanka. They were abetted by Johnson Samuvel, Dharmendran and Mohan in forging Indian identity documents.

The probe into the LTTE related cases are gaining steam and recently the Intelligence Bureau had sounded an alert. An IB official tells OneIndia that attempts are being made to siphon off money and also revive the outfit. While the goal may not be the same as was originally conceived when the LTTE was formed, attempts are being made to keep Tamil Nadu on the boil and also revive Tamil nationalism.

The probe found that some of the former operatives of the outfit based in Europe were trying to withdraw money and revive the outfit.

Former operatives based out of Denmark and Switzerland were trying to withdraw money to fund the activities of the now defunct outfit. Sources tell OneIndia that in the past couple of years, these former operatives had funded webinars to speak about the importance of the revival of the LTTE. The targeted public are in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu and these NGOs arranging these webinars had tried to convince the people that the rise of the LTTE is directly linked to Tamil nationalism.

During the probe the agencies learnt that the money lying in the accounts linked to the LTTE went into several crores of Rupees. It remain untouched for long, but now attempts are being made to withdraw the same and use it for the revival of the outfit.

The case came to light following the arrest of a Sri Lankan national, Letchumanan Mary Franciska (50) from the Chennai Airport. The police said that the arrest was made as she was holding a fake Indian passport.

The lady had entered India in December 2019 on a tourist visa which was valid for one year. Citing the outbreak of COVID-19 she stayed back in India. She then took a house on rent at the Shakthi Colony in Anna Nagar. She got a rental agreement made and hid her nationality, which she went to use to get an LPG connection in her name.

Using the LPG connection, she got herself an Indian passport and a voter ID as well. She was arrested based on a tip-off when she was trying to fly into Bengaluru. The case was transferred to the NIA when the probe against her revealed that she was in touch with the then active cadres of the LTTE.

The case was handed over to the NIA taking into consideration the larger conspiracy and the international ramifications as well. Along with her four other persons, Kenniston Fernando, K Baskaran, Johnson Samuel and L Sellamuthu came under the scanner of the NIA.

The development came in the wake of another arrest that took place last October. On Sabsena, a former Intelligence officer of the LTTE was arrested inn connection with an arms smuggling racket.

An official said that these persons were playing an active role in trying to revive the activities of the LTTE. The NIA in its FIR said that the accused persons had withdrawn money from the Indian Overseas Bank's Mumbai Fort branch. The money was being withdrawn to revive and further the activities of the LTTE.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that since the fall of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, the outfit had gone quiet.

However over the past two to three years there have been signals of them trying to make a revival.

They are trying to make out their case in Tamil Nadu and spread their message especially under the youth. The LTTE feels that they will be able to get the desired traction in Tamil Nadu which they may use to relaunch their outfit in Sri Lanka.

Earlier this month, the CB-CID, Tamil Nadu recovered a country made pistol used by a Sri Lankan don, Angoda Lock from Madurai. Lokka died of a cardiac arrest in July 2020. The CB-CID said that the pistol with five rounds was buried by a Madurai lawyer, whose father was an LTTE sympathiser. The agency said that there was a nexus between Lokka and Sabesan who was arrested for his involvement in smuggling drugs and arms from Pakistan.