Even as investigation is on to ascertain the source of maps seized by Customs authorities in a consignment booked to the U.S. by a retired Army officer, police are verifying inputs from Central and State intelligence agencies that some key cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had “sneaked” into Tamil Nadu.
According to highly placed police sources, hours before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Chennai to inaugurate the new Assembly and Secretariat complex on March 13, the Intelligence Bureau alerted the Tamil Nadu police that six LTTE cadre had entered the city and were staying at Valasaravakkam.
While police launched a massive combing operation to locate the suspects, another input came that a satellite phone was switched on in the city. About six teams led by senior police officers conducted searches based on certain clues and swooped down on three Israeli nationals who were found to be in possession of the satphone.
Though they claimed to be tourists, police took no chances and checked the call particulars of the phone. The three were interrogated by intelligence officers at an undisclosed place.
The phone remained in the possession of the police till the departure of the Prime Minister and other VVIPs, the sources said. “We picked up two persons in the Valasaravakkam area whose names matched with those given by the intelligence agency. They were found to be Sri Lankan Tamils who were staying in Tamil Nadu as refugees…they have registered their names with the competent authority. There is no clue about other suspects,” a police official said.
Parrying questions on the identity and other details about the Israeli nationals, the official maintained that they were “bonafide” tourists and the satphone was used for making “personal” calls.
He said there was information about some suspected LTTE cadre who reached the coast at Rameswaram and other places through clandestine means. “The information is being verified at different levels. After a careful analysis of the threat perception to the Prime Minister, the Special Protection Group and other agencies made some recommendations in the Advance Security Liaison meeting that were complied with fully,” the official added.
With regard to the seizure of maps and blue prints from the consignment booked by Col. Hugh A. Marley to the U.S., police said further investigation was being done by the Customs in coordination with defence intelligence.
