The military yesterday charged that the LTTE was using Hindu kovils for safe keeping, as they had found a stock of military items, including weapons and grenades, in the Makiapiddy Hindu Kovil, hidden behind the ‘Vel Cart’. 

Army headquarters said that security forces threw a security blanket over Kandaroddai village yesterday in order to nab four LTTE cadres who had fled after hiding inside the Makiapiddy Hindu kovil (temple) behind its VEL Cart with their arms and ammunition.

An army foot patrol, after observing strange movements inside the temple’s special hut-type structure where the covered holy Vel Cart was kept parked had been about to summon reinforcements to conduct a check on the suspicious place, it said.

Suddenly four persons had emerged from the inside, thrown a hand grenade at the troops and taken to their heels, causing the devotees to start running in all directions. 

Troops afterwards inspected the Vel Cart parking location and uncovered one micro pistol, two magazines, one pistol holster, one grenade launcher, ten 40 mm grenades, three night vision devices, four combat kits, two hand grenades, one defective hand grenade, two ground sheets, one Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment, one compass, one combat T- shirt, three pairs of Army-type boots, six water bottles, one Nokia mobile phone, one video camera, eighteen batteries, five sarongs, one bag, three T-shirts, Rs 20,000 in cash, three bottles of saline and eight nourishment biscuit packets.

Troops were combing Kandaroddai in search of the Tiger terrorists who had disappeared into the village, it added.

(Courtesy : Daily Mirror )