Lankan Terror Attack And Ramalingam Murder Case: NIA Conducts Raids Across TN; PFI, SDPI Functionaries Under Scanner

Sleuths from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are conducting searches across Tamil Nadu following Eastern Sunday bombing in Sri Lanka, News Today has reported.

Early this morning (May 2), NIA carried out intense searches across the state after reports emerged indicating the presence of terrorists in these parts.

The searches and inquires were conducted at various districts, apart from Chennai, sources said. “The investigations are in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka which claimed the lives of 253 people,” they added.

The ‘Q’ branch of Tamil Nadu police tracked down a person at Mannadi close to Chennai who is suspected to have been in regular touch with the now banned National Thowheeth Jama’ath- a Sri Lanka based jihadist group.

On questioning him, the police received a vital information and searched an apartment at Poonamallee and arrested a Sri Lankan national, who has been identified as Roshan (33).

A special team of Intelligence Bureau and officials from the NIA, raided an apartment located on the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway in Poonamallee. Three men, three women and a child were found residing there.

During questioning, it was found that the men (including Roshan) were allegedly friends with Zahran Hashim, the Tamil speaking Islamic terrorist said to be the mastermind behind the Sri Lankan Easter Sunday bombing.

According to preliminary investigation, Roshan did not have proper travel documents, like passport and visa, and had entered India several months ago. He was reportedly staying with some other Sri Lankan nationals who had valid papers.

NIA is also carrying out investigations in Kerala after intelligence reports of terror strikes. A few days ago, it arrested Riyas Aboobacker, a resident of Palakkad in Kerala, on charges of conspiring to carry out terror attacks in the State.

During interrogation by NIA, Riyas divulged that he has been following speeches/videos of Hashim for more than a year. Riyas also admitted that he has been following the speeches of radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik.

Riyas also confessed that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala. He admitted that he has been in online contact with absconding accused Abdul Rashid Abdulla, aka Abu Isa, for a long time and has been following his audio clips including the clip which he had circulated on social media platform instigating others to carry out terror attacks in India.

Ramalingam Murder Case

The NIA also carried out searches in the offices of radical Islamic outfits Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in Tiruchirapalli and Kumbakonam relating to the gruesome murder of a PMK party functionary for opposing religious conversion.

The NIA sleuths from Cochin, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police A P Shaukat Ali, raided the office of PFI at Palakkarai in Tiruchirapalli and the SDPI office at Kumbakonam in neighbouring Thanjavur district, this morning.

Police made tight security arrangements around the PFI and SDPI offices in view of the searches which were underway at both locations.

The office-bearers of the two outfits were being questioned by the NIA officials.

The PMK functionary V Ramalingam (45) was hacked to death on 5 February allegedly by a group belonging to the Muslim community after the victim questioned them for attempting to convert members of the Dalit community into Islam.

Also Read: Killed For Opposing Islamic Conversions: How Tamil Media Covered Or Ignored Ramalingam’s Murder