Three Sri Lankan nationals, suspected to have links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and a Chennai man were arrested in Delhi, allegedly with forge travel documents, the police said on Wednesday.
The Lankans, identified as Francis Jansan (29), TS Ranjit (28) and John Mary Agastan (22), were arrested from a hotel in Paharganj of central Delhi, a senior police official said.
The fourth person arrested is Ayakannu, who was accompanying the trio. He hailed from trouble-torn Jaffna, where the LTTE and Sri Lankan army are battling for control.
The Special Operation Squad of Delhi police Crime branch noticed the suspicious movements of the trio near the hotel where they were staying. The searches in their room led to the alleged recovery of forged Indian passports and visa.
"As of now, we have not established that they have any links with Tamil Tigers. We have booked them under the relevant sections of the Foreigners Act. Investigations are on into all angles, including the LTTE link," the official said.
The Lankans are understood to have told their interrogators, including officers from intelligence bureau, that they have procured the documents from a Chennai-based man by paying about Rs 75,000.
The Lankans have said in their statements that they have no links with LTTE and left Jaffna as they were upset with the continued violence in the region, adding that they wanted to live a peaceful life.
A team has been sent to Chennai to nab the man who allegedly arranged the forged documents, the official said.
The Delhi police have already written to the Ministry of External Affairs to help them verify the antecedents of the Lankans while waiting for the report from the team that has gone to Chennai, the official added.