NIA Raids in Tamil Nadu Intensify Hunt for Absconding Suspects

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) launched a series of raids at nine locations across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, intensifying efforts in the investigation of the notorious Ramlingam murder case. The operations are focused on eight sites in Dindigul district and one in Tenkashi, with authorities acting on critical intelligence regarding potential suspects.

The murder case, originally filed by local authorities, relates to the brutal hacking to death of Ramalingam in Thanjavur district in February 2019. The attack was carried out by members of the now-proscribed Popular Front of India (PFI) after Ramalingam opposed their forceful religious conversion endeavors. This past May, the NIA filed charges against Mohammed Ali Jinnah for aiding and abetting fugitives connected to the crime for a six-year period.

The NIA assumed responsibility for the case in March 2019 and by August of the same year had filed charges against 18 suspects, six of whom remain at large, designated as Proclaimed Offenders (POs). Mohammed Ali Jinnah was found to have shielded these individuals in a secluded cottage. Since his arrest in November 2024, authorities have captured three other POs between 2021 and January 2025, as they continue the search for the remaining three, for whom a Rs 5 lakh bounty has been announced for information leading to their capture.

(With inputs from agencies.)