Virtual armoury in Mullaitivu cab, but veil of secrecy
Not far from the Sinha Regiment camp at Peraru, Sergeant Niranjan and Constable Ratnayake were on traffic duty along the Oddusuddan-Puthukudiyiruppu Road in the Mullaitivu District.
From midnight on June 22, they were checking vehicles travelling on the road. It was around 5 a.m. when a blue three wheeler scooter (NP JY 8007), heading towards Puthukudiyirppu, was stopped by them.
Just as it came to a halt, one passenger took to his heels. The driver Ariyaratnam Kandarasa (38) of Tiruvaiaru in Kilinochchi, remained with his hands glued to the steering handle. Another passenger, Rasendran Risikeshan (22) of Arival Nagar, Kilinochchi appeared cornered and could not escape. The two Police officers arrested them whilst the third passenger got away.
A check on the three-wheeler revealed a locally manufactured bomb with 15 kilos of C-4 explosives. Police said the quantity was enough to destroy a car or van loaded with passengers. Among the other 24 items discovered were 31 detonators, 21 of them prepared for use, 52 other detonators, 120 rounds of T-56 assault rifle ammunition, a Grenade (Tamil Gundu), two pairs of binoculars, six remote control devices, LTTE camouflage trousers, shirts, caps, General Purpose Machine Gun ammunition, pages of July 9 2017 the Sunday Times with which the detonators were wrapped, different credit cards, mobile phones, insurance certificates, rubber stamps and writing pads. There were also SIM cards from two different mobile phone operators and envelopes containing cash. A list of arms and ammunition had been writ- ten in the back page of a calendar. Officers from a neighbouring Police Special Task Force (STF) camp visited the Police Station and identified the war-like items found.
The two Police officers took the two suspects and the items discovered to the Oddusuddan Police Station. On learning the escape of one passenger, the acting Officer-in-charge A.A.N. Chaturanga led a team in search of him. They took into custody Vellasamy Ehamparam (alias Ega) of Shanthipuram in Kilinochchi. This was after police officers Thinesh and Ekanayake questioned him and established that he was the one who escaped. It was also later confirmed by the two officers on traffic duty. Also arrested was Anparasan Harikaranraja (25) of Ganeshakudiruppu, Devipuram. He is alleged to be having strong links with the other three in custody.
Investigations into the find are now being conducted by Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) officers who have made eleven arrests so far. However, a veil of secrecy surrounds their findings. Jaffna-based Tamil newspapers downplayed the Police find. One daily newspaper claimed that a sister of a person arrested had complained to the Police years earlier that her brother had gone missing. The report alleged that he was associated with the Army’s Intelligence Directorate and was one of those involved.
However, senior DIG Roshan Fernando, in charge of the North, declared that serious questions had arisen after Police found the military items. “We cannot dismiss it lightly. We are taking it very seriously and have told our officers and men to be extra vigilant,” he told the Sunday Times.