Police shoots dead Tamil youth in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 December 2008, 14:04 GMT]
Ea’raavoor police in Batticaloa district shot and killed a Tamil youth Sunday around 6:00 p.m whom they had taken into custody during the search conducted Saturday in Aiyangkea’ni during the police-curfew, Aiyangkea’ni residents said. The police claimed that they opened fire on the youth when he tried to hurl a hand grenade on them when they to took him to recover weapons at Tha’lavaay in Aiyangkea’ni according to information revealed by the youth during interrogation.

The youth killed was identified as Thangavel Krishnapillai alias Chootti, 27.

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the police searched and checked more than 10,000 Tamils, 4,000 houses and more than 50% of the vehicles in Batticaloa district, during the joint search launched, clamping a 12-hour police-curfew Saturday.

Aiyangkea'ni is located 16 km north of Batticaloa town.