The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has seized a huge cache of cash, gold and drugs and arrested a suspect in the Indo-Sri Lankan illegal drugs and hawala case relating to the revival of LTTE.
The suspect was arrested on Thursday in the raids, taking total arrests in the Tamil Nadu case to 14. The searches also yielded gold bars, digital devices (mobile phones, memory cards) and documents, along with other incriminating material.
The searches were conducted at the Chennai residential and business premises of eight suspects in an Indo-Sri Lankan illegal drugs and arms trade racket aimed at revival of LTTE. The agency had initiated investigations into the racket in July 2022.
One person was also arrested following Thursday’s searches, taking the total arrests so far in the case to 14, with 13 having been earlier arrested in December 2022 as part of raids conducted in 21 locations in Tamil Nadu following the registration of the case in July, the NIA said in a statement.
The earlier raids had included the accommodation allotted to nine accused in Special Detention Camp, Trichy. “Investigations into the case have shown that the proceeds of drugs and arms trade in Sri Lanka were received in India through Hawala agents, including one Shahid Ali of Chennai.
It was further found that the Hawala transactions to obtain the process of Drugs and Arms trade were done through hotels and businesses based in Mannady, Chennai,” it said.
Thursday’s seizure included recovery of Rs 68 lakh Indian currency and 1,000 Singapore Dollars, nine gold biscuits (total 300 gram) from the shop of Shahid Ali.