The SIT intensifies its hunt for Sivarasan, believing he may have fled Tamil Nadu. However, a lucky arrest in Coimbatore reveals that Sivarasan was smuggled into Bangalore in an oil tanker. As surveillance sweeps the city, a near-raid on one safe house in Indiranagar misses Sivarasan by mere metres, and a tragic misstep by local police in Biroota and Muthati results in the deaths of 17 LTTE operatives, prompting political backlash and urgent pressure on the SIT to capture Sivarasan alive.