‘LTTE cells still active in TN’
Senior officials said LTTE “sleeper cells” could still be active in Tamil Nadu, hoping to resuscitate the defeated and dismantled Sri Lankan militant outfit, after the police busted a network that supplied arms and ammunition to the Tigers during the civil war and arrested three members of the rebel group in the state on Sunday.
The “Q” branch police seized thousands of detonators, both electronic and manual, from arrested militants Siva, “Painter” Selvam and Tamil Selvam, who were taken into custody in Tiruchy. Sources said at least 4,900 manual detonators and 430 electronic detonators had been seized from them.
“They collected a large number of detonators by buying them in small quantities over a period of time,” a senior police officer said. “They could not smuggle the devices to Sri Lanka because of the high vigil on the Tamil Nadu coast.”
The Tigers were apprehended following a breakthrough with the recent arrest of LTTE operative Chiranjeevi. According to the police, Siva, an active member of LTTE’s intelligence wing, lived in Chennai but had not registered as a refugee. Painter Selvam stayed in Erode and Tamil Selvan in Tiruchy.
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IAF for recall of copters on UN missions
New Delhi : Amid proposals for using helicopters for movement of paramilitary forces during anti-Naxal operations, the IAF has suggested to the government that its 15 choppers deputed for UN peacekeeping forces may be called back as it has constraints of resources.
The IAF has made it clear that it has no reservation in helping police and paramilitary forces in evacuation but is hard-pressed for helicopters as most of them are deployed for various operational requirements.
The Air Force has told the government that if it were to assist in anti-Naxal operations, it would require more helicopters, defence ministry sources said.
In this context, it has suggested that the 15 MI-17 helicopters deputed for UN peacekeeping missions in three African countries may be called back, they said.
“The option of calling back the choppers from foreign duties is still under consideration of the government,” the sources added. The Indian Air Force has a fleet of medium-lift Mi-17 and Mi-8 helicopters.
The home ministry has proposed that IAF should provide helicopters for evacuation of paramilitary forces during anti-Naxal operations. —PTI
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