New Delhi, Jul 23 (IANS): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday raided the homes of five absconding Proclaimed Offenders (POs) and suspects across twenty one locations in Tamil Nadu in the PFI conspiracy case relating to the assassination of a man for protesting against forcible conversions by the banned outfit.
The state-wide raids in the Ramalingam Murder PFI conspiracy case were conducted on the residential premises of several functionaries of the Popular Front of India (PFI), including Nellai Mubarak, who is also the State President of the SDPI.
Others whose houses were raided included absconding accused Mohammed Ali Jinna, Abdul Majith, Bhurkhanudeen, Shahul Hameed and Nafeel Hassan.
The NIA has announced a reward of Rs five lakhs each for providing information leading to the arrest of five absconders. The prosecution of others already arrested in the case is currently under way.
Earlier, the NIA filed a charge sheet against eighteen accused including the five absconding, on August 2, 2019, before a special NIA court in Chennai. The NIA Court had declared these five absconding accused persons as Proclaimed Offenders.
“Today’s raids, in the districts of Thanjavur, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Tirupur, Villupuram, Trichy, Pudukottai, Coimbatore and Mayiladuthurai, led to the seizure of several digital devices (mobile phones, SIM cards and memory cards) and documents,” said the official.
Ramalingam was murdered on February 5, 2019 in Paku Vinayakam Thoppu, Thanjavur by members and office bearers of PFI.
The accused persons had avenged Ramalingam by killing him brutally as he objected to the forcible conversion of underprivileged persons by Dawah Team / Proselytization team dispatched from Arivagam, Theni (now attached as proceeds of terrorism under section 25 of UA(P) Act.
According to NIA investigations, the violence was instigated to instill fear among the opponents of the outfit, declared as an ‘unlawful association’ under UAPA by the Government of India on 28th September 2022, and to drive a wedge between the communities by inciting communal hatred and violence.