Tamil Nadu   

Suba Ilavarasan held

By V.S. Palaniappan

Suba Ilavarasan, leader of the banned Tamizhar Viduthalai Iyakkam, who was arrested by the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force near Kolathur in Salem district on Wednesday. — Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

METTUR, MAY 26. An ambush team of the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force, led by intelligence sleuths, arrested Suba Ilavarasan, leader of the banned Tamizhar Viduthalai Iyakkam, this morning near Kolathur in Salem district.

The arrest, effected along the Tamil Nadu— Karnataka border, brings to an end the nearly three-year search for the `most wanted' Tamil extremist, claim STF officials.

The team, led by inspector Rajarajan, intercepted Ilavarasan and his associate, Saha alias Sahadevan, when they were trying to sneak into the forests from Adipalar near Chinna Thanda with the aim of getting into Karnataka, the Superintendent of Police (Special Task Force— TN), K. Shanmugavel, told a press conference at the Kolathur police station.

Two others escaped under the cover of darkness. Investigations revealed that they were sent by the Veerapan's gang to help the extremists establish contact with the brigand, he said.

A 9-mm pistol with seven rounds of ammunition, two single-bore muzzle loader guns, seven live plastic pipe bombs and ten `36' hand grenades, besides a pair of binoculars, were recovered from them.

The team also seized literature and photographs of the outfit conducting activities.

Sharing of intelligence between the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka STFs over the months and the supplementary role played by a Karnataka team from the Palar side of Karnataka helped in effecting today's arrest, the Additional Director-General of Police, K. Vijay Kumar, told The Hindu .

The STF officials handed over the TVI leader and his associate to the Kolathur police.

Combing operations have been stepped up in and around Mettur.

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