Chennai, Jan 27 (IANS): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case and commenced an investigation after three Sri Lankan nationals were arrested with fake passports.

Two were arrested with fake Indian passports while a third was arrested with a fake Spanish passport.

The arrests were made by the Tamil Nadu police in October 2021 but the premier investigating agency took over the probe in January 2022 after registering a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Passports Act, Foreigners Amendment Act, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The elite 'Q' branch of the Tamil Nadu police had in October 2021 arrested a person, Letchumanan Mary Franciska in Chennai, and another Sri Lankan national was arrested at Madurai airport while he was boarding a Sri Lankan Airlines flight.

The Tamil Nadu 'Q' branch had also arrested another Sri Lankan national in the last week of October 2021 after he was trying to board a Sri Lankan airlines flight from Tiruchi airport with a fake Spanish passport. These arrests led to the NIA getting alerted and have now registered a case and commenced an investigation.

A special team of officers of the NIA is investigating the case which will have international ramifications. The R&AW and the Central Intelligence Agencies had earlier given inputs of the now-defunct LTTE cadres trying to fan up Tamil nationalism with certain political parties supporting it.

The LTTE cadres and leaders spread across the globe are trying to liven up the organization to try and bring up a Tamil Eelam.

A lawyer, Rudrakumaran is the Prime Minister in exile of Tamil Eelam that is functioning from the United States of America and the arrest of Sri Lankan nationals with fake passports are taken seriously by the National Investigation Agency.