NIA gets ten days custody of 11 Srilankan nationals

A special court has given custody of 11 Sri Lankan nationals, including nine arrested from a special camp for foreign nationals in Tiruchy, to NIA for 10 days from Saturday.

The National Investigation Agency, on December 19, had arrested nine from the camp for alleged involvement in drugs and arms smuggling to revive the LTTE.

NIA had arrested C Gunashekharan alias Kimbula Ele Guna, Pukkudi Kanna, Mohamed Ashim, Sunil Gamini Fonseka alias Kota Gamini, Stanley Kennedy Fernando alias Bumma, Athurugiriye Ladiya, Welle Suranga, Mohamed Asmin, Danuka Roshan and Thileepan from the camp. All are facing several cases in their home country. The other two Lankans held are Asitha Novik Kumar and Selvakumar.

According to the NIA, some of them were in regular touch with a Pakistan-based drug runner, Haji Salim, who often travelled between Dubai, Pakistan and Iran.

Six of them were held with 300 kg of heroin, five AK-47 rifles, and 1,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition off Vizhinjam in March 2021.