Mastermind behind LTTE credit card fraud arrested

The mastermind behind the international credit card fraud for funding the LTTE terrorist organization has been arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) personnel while conducting a search operation in the Wellawatta area .

The suspect Anandan, alias Neshanadan Muruganandan, was in a super luxury apartment in Wellawatta at the time he was arrested by the special police team, sources said. He had a large number of Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) and bank receipts issued by both local and foreign banks, amounting to a massive sum of money, over Rs. 100 million, in his possession when he was arrested.

He had cloned credit cards using PIN and card numbers obtained from unsuspecting cards holders in the United Kingdom, a Police official said adding that these were later believed transferred to the LTTE. Unlike in the past where the LTTE was mainly extracting funds from the Tamil Diaspora in the UK, it is now tapping into the resources of the British public at large who are unknowingly funding the LTTE, he further said.