DMK refugee smuggler arrested

9 October 2010 04:09 am

Sleuths from the Indian CID arrested a DMK councillor of Ariyankuppam commune panchayat and three others for allegedly trying to send some Sri Lankan Tamil refugees from Puducherry to a foreign country.

Briefing reporters, senior superintendent of police (headquarters) V.J. Chandran said that the CID police got a tip-off about the nefarious activity and the attempt to send them illegally to a foreign destination. Although there was no refugee camp in Puducherry and Karaikal the refugees were suspected to be from camps in the bordering areas of the neighbouring states. 

Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that Ramu of Chennai, a Sri Lankan Tamil contacted Sakthivel, DMK councillor of Ariyankuppam commune to purchase a boat to send Tamils illegally. Sakthivel offered his boat Kadal Annai for sale through his accomplices, Logu Ayappan of Ariyankuppam, Jeeva of Vaithikuppam and Kannan of Veerampattinam in Puducherry. Accordingly, Jeeva and Kannan loaded the boat with fuel and rations and planned to illegally send some Lankan families on Tuesday night. 

Meanwhile Sakthivel and Logu Ayappan cautioned Jeeva and Kannan who were travelling in the boat to Karaikal to return to the shore immediately after the police intensified their vigil. Following a tip-off, the police recovered the boat from Karaikal and arrested Sakthivel, Ayappan, Jeeva and Kannan. (Deccan Chronicle)