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NT Bureau
Chennai, Jan 25:

        It is learnt that three persons of the nine arrested in connection with the supply of spare parts, used in manufacturing arms, to the LTTE, belong to the movement.

        The gang had received Rs 8 lakh as payment for the supply from the Liberation Tigers.

        In connection with the supply to the Island nation eight persons from here and one from Tuticorin were arrested.

        Sivakaran of Jaffna is the prime accused in the case. Besides Selvasendhan alias Sendhan also from Jaffna came to India as a refugee in 1994.

        He was running an ice-cream parlour and an STD booth in Tiruchi KK Nagar. Satheesh alias Nitthi of Mattakalappai was working in the ice-cream parlour of Sendhan. Karan alias Yogaraja of Kilinochi and Bharathidasan alias Bharathy were staying at the Tiruchi Kottapattu refugee camp.

        Car driver Mayilvaganan from Tiruchi, mini lorry owner Jayavel, mini lorry driver Rashid Ahmed and Prabhakaran from Tuticorin were arrested.

        When Chennai Q branch police came across a lorry, which was having a load that looked suspicious, they subjected it to a check.

        They found small iron balls used in cycle chains in sacks. Apart from this Rs 5 lakhs in cash, one mini lorry, one Tata Indica car and three cell phones was seized by the police.

        Further enquiries revealed that one Sivakaran Prabhakaran delivered the goods from Cooni Bazar in Mumbai to Tuticorin, en route to Sri Lanka.

        Acting on this information, Sivakaran Prabhakaran's place at Tuticorin was searched. There the Q branch police recovered 60 bags of iron balls weighing 3,000 kg.

        Those arrested were booked under the Prevention of Illegal Activities Act, Explosives Act and Foreigners Act.

        Police sources said Sivakaran, the prime accused, had come many years ago to Rameswaram as a refugee. He then gave the refugee camp, he was staying at, the slip and went to Tuticorin to join Prabhakaran.

        Two months ago near Manamadurai, booster materials were seized and it was suspected that Sivakaran was behind this. In this connection the Q branch police were searching for him.

        He then went underground last November and began supplying iron balls. And for this operation, Sivakaran received Rs 8 lakhs in two instalments.

        The nine accused were produced before court. The Q branch police are planning to take them into police custody for questioning.