Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Rajiv Gandhi’s killer posed for photos seconds before detonating. Why? Because the LTTE needed proof—and that proof became the first nail in their own coffin.
The LTTE insisted every mission be photographed. But the camera they brought to boast about the hit became the tool that unraveled their entire operation.
Ten eerie images. One suicide bomber. One blast. One fireball. And a crowd of silent faces—among them, India’s most wanted terrorist. That undeveloped roll became a national clue board.
The LTTE had a rule: no operation without documentation. Their obsession with being seen—being remembered—led to a photographer’s death and the conspirators’ exposure.
The suicide bomber died instantly. So did the photographer. But his camera didn’t. It held photos so detailed, so damning, they turned the tide of the investigation.
A final frame of orange fire captured the exact moment of assassination. That image, meant for rebel propaganda, became India’s most explosive evidence.
Haribabu thought he was photographing a rally. In truth, he was capturing history’s deadliest selfie sequence. He didn’t survive—but his photos did.
Developed days after the blast, the film was a forensic goldmine: faces in the crowd, identities exposed, and one chilling realization—the plotters had documented their own crime.
The LTTE’s propaganda machine demanded evidence of success. What they didn’t expect? That their “proof” would be printed in newspapers—and used to hunt them down.