TamilNadu police aided by intelligence and Coast Guard personnel launched a massive combing operation on Tuesday in nearby islands and all the coastal districts of the state to check whether any LTTE carders 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, reported The Hindu.

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

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.