12.8.2008

A Sri Lankan Tamil alleged for links with LTTE has been sentenced to two-and-half years imprisonment by a Kerala court yesterday (August 11) after he was arrested by Police at Nedumkandam town, in Kerala, India.

The youth who has been staying without proper documents in the country and was charged under the sections of the Foreigners Act, which made it mandatory for a foreign national to possess proper documents while staying in the country, Indian news sources reported

The LTTE suspect Muthayya Sabharathinam a native of Vavuniya, was arrested from a hotel at Nedumkandam while working as a "parata-maker" Indian news sources reported.

The Police had arrested him on information received of his unusual visits made to a cyber-caf‚ from where he had sent messages to LTTE operatives. The terror suspect has further participated in LTTE's campaigns against the Sri Lankan military, the sources further added citing police sources.

The youth had fled to Tamil Nadu as a refuge and settled at the Mandam refuge camp at Rameshwaran after his sister, also an LTTE cadre was reported killed during a confrontation with SLA. Later, Muthayya fled the refuge camp at Tamil Nadu and worked in different places in Kerala until his arrest, sources further said.

In the last two years, India has arrested 55 LTTE operatives, 'Strategy Page' a military news portal earlier reported.