November 10, Colombo (LNW): Indian intelligence services have reportedly raised concerns over a developing partnership between the Dawood Ibrahim crime network and remnants of the defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), according to a report by Indian broadcaster Diya TV.
The syndicate is believed to be using maritime routes linking southern India and Sri Lanka to re-establish its narcotics operations, following intensified law enforcement crackdowns in India’s western and northern regions.
For certain LTTE-linked figures, the collaboration is said to offer much-needed financial support and renewed access to smuggling channels, amid dwindling resources and fractured leadership since the militant organisation’s military defeat in 2009.
Security officials cited in the report have downplayed the likelihood of a full-scale resurgence of the LTTE’s separatist campaign but cautioned that its long-standing logistical networks and coastal expertise could still facilitate illicit movements across the Palk Strait.
Analysts further noted that the Dawood syndicate’s extensive funding and international connections, when paired with the LTTE’s local knowledge of maritime routes, could enhance the efficiency of regional trafficking operations.
Historically, LTTE operatives were accused of using drug trafficking and money laundering schemes to finance their insurgency, often channelling proceeds through diaspora-linked businesses overseas—a pattern intelligence agencies fear may resurface under this new arrangement.
