News

The Special Task Force (STF) in a pre-dawn cordon-and-search operation yesterday detected a haul of explosives, including two claymore mines, concealed by LTTE operatives in a piggery owned by a wealthy businessman at Uswetakeiyawa in the Pamunugama area and arrested 18 suspects.

An official said the raid was conducted on a tip-off given by a civilian and the STF, in addition to the two claymore mines, recovered eight hand grenades, one T-56 assault rifle, 115 live rounds, four detonators, 20 meters of fuse wire and two magazines. The suspects including two women are believed to be residents of Kokkadicholai, Milambawali, and Sathurukondan areas in the Batticaloa district. Among them were some teenagers, the STF official said.

The explosives had been carefully hidden inside a heap of coconut husks within the premises of the piggery, which is located close to Hamilton Canal. The location is full of garbage and shrubs.

Pamunugama police said they believed the owner of the piggery who is also a prawn businessman was probably aware of the explosives hidden in his piggery. Most of the suspects were working in the piggery while some were employed in the businessman’s prawn factory. Residents said they had complained to the police regularly about the suspicious behaviour of some piggery employees and also alerted the businessman but no effective action was taken till yesterday. The STF was due to question the owner of the piggery.

Meanwhile, Katunayake police on information received from a civilian recovered a hand grenade and ammunition from a boarding house in Aweriwatte yesterday morning.