Jayaraasa, 41, a Sri Lankan citizen, was arrested by the Mandapam police at Rameswaram on Saturday. The police said that a special patrol team, led by Sub-Inspector of Police Mohamed Tariq Ameen, that was on duty along the Dhanushkodi-Arichalmunai beach around 7 a.m. found him walking along the beach.
Upon questioning him, they found that he had escaped from Sri Lanka fearing arrest over his involvement in criminal activities. He had reached Dhanushkodi by boat in the early hours of Saturday. There were also rumours that he was a sympathiser of the banned outfit Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and that feared arrest by the Sri Lankan police.
A reliable source from Chennai said that a team of officers from Central and State agencies had inquired into the history of the accused. It was for the Sri Lankan authorities to confirm his links with the LTTE, the source added.
The Mandapam police have registered a case under 14 (c) of Foreigners Act 1946 r/w 3 (a) 6 (a) of Passport (Entry into India) Act and among others. The police said that the accused would be produced before a Judicial Magistrate in Rameswaram and taken to Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai. Further interrogation was on.
