A massive combing operation was on Tuesday launched by Tamil Nadu police aided by intelligence and Coast Guard personnel in nearby islands and all the coastal districts of the state to verify whether any LTTE militant had infiltrated into the areas in the aftermath of the outfit’s defeat in Sri Lanka.

The operations, ordered by the Union Home Ministry, were being carried out jointly by the state police, including the Coastal Security Group and “Q” Branch, various intelligence wing personnel and Coast Guard, official sources said.

Police used metal detectors and sniffer dogs to thoroughly check the casurina jungle in Dhanushkodi area and various islands, including the Musal Tivu in the Gulf of Mannar.

The operations would continue till tonight, they said.

Both the state police and Navy and Coast Guard stepped up vigil in the coastal areas during the past few months following escalation of hostilities between Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE, whose leader V Prabhakaran along with several of his associates were reportedly killed in May.

- PTI