Sri Lankan police on Tuesday arrested a top Tamil warlord on corruption charges nearly two years after the defeat of his main ally, former president Mahinda Rajapakse. Police said the Financial Crimes Investigation Division arrested Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, better known by his nom de guerre Karuna, for misappropriating an unspecified amount of state money and other assets. "Karuna was questioned about state vehicles and financial transactions," a police official said on condition of anonymity.
"He was taken before a magistrate who remanded him in custody till December 7." The 50-year-old Karuna was number two of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when he led a breakaway faction and sided with the then-government in 2004. His dramatic defection weakened the separatist who were known for their trademark suicide bombings.