NIA Chargesheet: 13 Individuals Accused in India-Sri Lanka Illegal Drugs & Arms Trade Case for LTTE Revival

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has officially filed a chargesheet against 13 individuals, including citizens of Sri Lanka, in a case involving illegal drugs and arms trade between India and Sri Lanka. The case is connected to efforts to revive the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) in both countries.

These individuals collaborated with the accused in the Vizhinjam Arms case (RC-01/2021/NIA/KOC) to exploit the illicit drugs trade in India and Sri Lanka. Their objective was to acquire funds, accumulate weapons, and support the revival of LTTE activities. The drugs were believed to have been obtained from a person named Haji Salim, suspected to be residing in Pakistan. The accused used various foreign WhatsApp numbers to carry out their covert trade.

Investigations into the matter uncovered their conspiracy to finance the revival of LTTE through drug trafficking. The individuals were apprehended at the Trichy Special Camp. Additionally, it was revealed that they were using the proceeds of their illegal activities to maintain an extravagant lifestyle. Several mobile phones with pre-activated Indian SIM cards were seized, along with various digital devices, documents related to drug transactions, cash amounting to Rs 80 lakh, and nine gold bars. The cash and gold were proceeds from narcotics sales and were being channeled through hawala networks between Chennai and Sri Lanka. Moreover, transactions involving cryptocurrencies were discovered among the accused.

NIA initiated the case suo moto on July 8, 2022, and subsequently arrested 13 individuals. The chargesheet, filed yesterday, includes various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967, and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Among the accused are three Indian nationals named Selvakumar M., Vigneshwara Perumal (also known as Vicky), and lyyapan Nandhu (also known as Ayyappan Nandhu). The remaining 10 individuals are Sri Lankans identified as C Gunasekaran (also known as Guna), Pushparajah (also known as Pookutti Kanna), Mohammad Asmin, Alahapperumaga Sunil Ghamini Fonseka, Stanly Kennady Fernando, Dhanukka Roshan, Ladiya (also known as Nalin Chathuranga), Vella Suranga (also known as Gamage Suranga Pradeep), Thilipan (also known as Dileepan), and Danarathnam Nilukshan.

While Vicky and Nandhu were arrested in April of this year, the others were apprehended in December 2022.