New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Thursday conducted searches at 20 locations in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, including four offices of the radical outfit - Popular Front of India (PFI), in connection with the murder of a man this February.
A number of devices, including 16 mobile phones, 21 SIM cards, three laptops, nine hard discs, seven memory cards, 118 CDs/DVDs, one tab, seven diaries, two PFI banners and a DVR were seized during the raids, a statement issued by the NIA said.
Besides these, a sword, a sharp-edged knife and Rs 2 lakh cash were recovered from three different houses and around 100 incriminating documents were also seized, it said.
Searches were conducted at 20 locations in Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Trichy (all in Tamil Nadu) and Karaikal (Puducherry), in the houses of those arrested in the case as well as the accused who are absconding and four offices of the PFI, the NIA said.
The case pertains to the murder of 41-year-old Ramalingam, a resident of Thiruvidimarudur in Thanjavur district, on February 5, 2019.
As part of a well-hatched conspiracy, the accused persons attacked Ramalingam with lethal weapons like billhook and knives, causing grievous injuries to both his hands that led to his death, the statement said.
Ramalingam is said to be a worker of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).
Local police had registered a case following the incident.
"Thanjavur police had arrested 10 accused earlier. Six other accused are still absconding. The accused persons are active members/office bearers of PFI," the NIA said.
The NIA registered the case on March 7.
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