NIA nails Tamil Nadu Liberation Army bomber

Chennai: A bomber would not have imagined that his leaving behind a comb and a toothbrush in his rented house would expose him and nail his alibi. The nefarious designs of a member of the banned Tamil Nadu Liberation Army were found out when the NIA team picked up the comb and toothbrush and DNA-tested it.

The bomber had been part of a squad that had planted a bomb near former union minister for PMO V. Narayanaswamy six months ago after staying in Puducherry. The NIA team sent the items for DNA testing in their Hyderabad lab and found that the articles had suspect Karthik’s genetic code on it.

“Karthik has been insisting that he never stayed in Puducherry. But now we have DNA evidence against him’ NIA sources said. As many as six persons, all belonging to TNLA, were arrested by the NIA in connection with the Puducherry bomb planting case. The arrested were identified as Thiruselvam, Kalai Lingam, Thangaraj, Kaviarasau, Karthik and John Martin.

Various groups of TNLA headed by R Thiruselvam had placed pipe bombs near the homes of Narayanaswamy in Puducherry, and P Chidambaram, former finance minister, in Karaikudi and also near the retail shop of a well-known chain in Madurai to mark their protest against the policies of the UPA government.

All bombs had been placed in a one-month period between January 29 and February 26 this year. The Puducherry case has been handed over to the NIA for detailed probe. Thiruselvam, leader of TNLA, (also known as Thamilar Viduthalai Padai) who was arrested in March confessed to placing the bomb at the residence of Narayanaswamy on January 29.

TNLA members not only placed a bomb near the house of Chidambaram but also left behind bundles of pamphlets denouncing the then central  government for its ‘anti-people policies’ and opposed the entry of retail majors in the country.

Thiruselvam had been underground for the last 10 years after he was listed as an accused in a murder case. TNLA, an outfit started in the mid-’80 s by Tamilarasan, an engineering student from Ariyalur district, was banned in 2002.