LTTE terrorist who funded Rajivā??s killing detained by Interpol

Sep 12: A top LTTE terrorist Kumaran Padmanabhan, alias KP, who allegedly financed the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has been arrested in Thailand by the Interpol, according to the sources.

Kumaran Padmanabhan was leading the group of international arms procurement that supplied weapon to the Tamil Tiger fighting against Sri Lankan forces. He shifted his base to Thailand and Combodia and was controlling arm supply from there.

He is supposed to have provided the bomb belt that killed Rajiv Gandhi.

Col. Apichart Suribunya, chief of Thai Interpol said "According to immigration records for the past two years, there is no record of him entering the country," he added that their had been no arrest in past few days.

The deputy chief of Thailand's Special Branch police also denied that Padmanadan had been arrested in his country.

Maj. Gen. Trithot Ronnaritwichai said "I have checked with all divisions concerned. Nobody has information about arresting any Sri Lankan man”.

Rajiv Gandhi while campaigning at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on 21 May 1991 was assassinated by Dhanu, a suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Siriperumbudur near Chennai by a conspiracy hatched by Velupillai Prabhakaran and his intelligence Chief Pottu Amman.

Fifteen years later Anton Balasingham of LTTE apologised and said that Rajiv’s killing was monumental and historical tragedy, which they deeply regret.

So far it has always denied of its involvement in one of the greatest tragedy in India.

Though he did not figure in the chargesheet filed by CBI because of the lack of evidence against him but he figured in Jain Commission findings.

While Indian mission has confirmed at of KP’s detention, but the problem ahead is that Sri Lanka and India, both wants Padmanathan on their soil and India might face resistant from Sri Lankan Government.

Sri Lanka certainly has an edge, and will try hard to get him back. Since decades Sri Lanka is fighting against Tamil Tigers.