
A Look Inside Spy Tiger: The 05 File
Spy Tiger: The 05 File is a memoir by Kagusthan Ariaratnam with Michael Bramadat-Willcock; an award-winning journalist, editor, and
researcher. Kagusthan is a man whose life story is as gripping as any espionage thriller. At just 17 years old, Kagusthan was kidnapped from his high school and thrust into the ranks of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the militant organization infamous for its brutal tactics in the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Kagusthan quickly became an intelligence officer as a child soldier, working alongside the Tiger leadership. However, a twist of fate led him to break the organization’s code of conduct, forcing him to become a double agent for India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). His betrayal did not go unnoticed, and the Tigers sentenced him to infiltrate the Sri Lankan armed forces.
Switching loyalties, Kagusthan played a key role in helping Sri Lanka retake the Jaffna peninsula, contributing to their eventual victory over the Tigers. After severing ties with the LTTE, he embedded himself further in Sri Lanka’s military intelligence operations, offering critical support until finally fleeing with his family to Canada.