NIA seizes gold, drugs in Indo-Sri Lankan racket case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has seized a huge cache of cash, gold and drugs, and has arrested one person in connection with the Indo-Sri Lankan illegal drugs, arms trade and hawala racket case aimed at the revival of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the agency said on Friday. The anti-terror agency conducted searches on Thursday, at the Chennai residential and business premises of eight suspects in the case. During the searches, it seized a huge cache of cash, gold bars, digital devices (mobile phones, memory cards), drugs and documents, along with other incriminating material.
The agency has also arrested one person during the raids. He has been identified as Ayyappan Nandhu. This took the number of total arrests in the Tamil Nadu case to 14.
As per NIA, Nandhu has been found to be managing the drug trade on behalf of Muhammed Asmin, a Sri Lankan refugee and a drug trafficker who had conspired with other accused to revive LTTE through drugs and arms trade.
Other 13 people were arrested earlier in December 2022 as part of raids conducted in 21 locations in Tamil Nadu following the registration of the case by the NIA in July 2022. 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,” said the NIA.
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 Mannadi, Chennai, said the agency.
Thursday’s seizure included Rs 68 lakh Indian currency and 1,000 Singapore Dollars, nine Gold Biscuits (total 300 gram) from the shop of Shahid Ali.
The NIA has also recovered Rs 12 Lakhs in Indian currency from the Hotel – Orange Palace at Chennai.