One person was arrested on Saturday for allegedly facilitating the procurement of ball bearings, to be used in making explosives, from a market in Mumbai for the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Miraj Saheb Ismail, a resident of Bhagat Singh Nagar in suburban Goregaon, is a native of Tamil Nadu who had been staying in the city for the last 3-4 years, Additional Commissioner of Police, Region, Bipin Bihari told PTI in Mumbai.

The 42-year-old is suspected to have facilitated members of LTTE in procuring at least six tonnes of ball bearings from Null Bazaar in South Central Mumbai, he added.

The arrest comes four days after Tamil Nadu's 'Q' branch police arrested five Sri Lankan refugees and three others from Chennai for attempting to smuggle explosive materials to the island nation. The five refugees had allegedly come to Chennai to collect a consignment of over 2,000 kg of ball bearings which had arrived from Mumbai.

According to Bihari, Ismail is suspected to have sent at least six tonnes of ball bearings in three consignments of 2,000 kg each.

"We will have to cross check details regarding Ismail with the Tamil Nadu police. The exact role played by him can be only ascertained after that," Bihari said, adding that he used to sell tea and coffee on cycle during the nights.