Attempted extortion bid:

Three suspects who posed as TMVP members held

by Ananth PALAKIDNAR

Three suspects from Trincomalee who posed as members of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) party were taken in for questioning by Security Forces personnel in Jaffna on Friday.

According to Army sources, the suspects had told A. Atputharaja R. Sutharsan and J. Vasantharoopan of Jaffna that they were the members of the TMVP and could help them seek political asylum abroad.

The suspects had also demanded Rs. 500,000 from those persons who sought their assistance to go abroad. However, following a dispute over the transaction and intimidation by the suspects, the victims had sought the assistance of the Security Forces.

The swift action taken by Army personnel in Uduvil led to the arrest of the three suspects, who had arrived in Jaffna from Trincomalee.

They have now been taken into custody along with a white van. The Army and the police in Jaffna are jointly conducting investigations.