NIA raids houses of accused in murder of Hindu Munnani leader in Coimbatore

A team of NIA personnel from Hyderabad led by Superintendent of Police L R Kumar landed in the houses of the four persons around 5 am to carry out the search. They also inquired with family members and relatives of the accused. While inquiries concluded in the houses of two accused — S Zubair and Syed Abu Dhakir — around 8 am, it ended only around noon in the houses of the others. The search comes a day after the NIA held an inquiry with the accused persons on Saturday. 

Following the search, the NIA officials seized three mobile phones from the house of Abu Dhakir and a two-wheeler from Zubair. Official sources said the family members were questioned on whether the murder was executed at the behest of any terror outfit. 

PP Mohan, a lawyer and rights activist, charged that the NIA has taken up probe in the murder with some ulterior motive. “The BJP-led central government has been using NIA as a tool for its vendetta politics. It was said during the CB-CID investigations that Sasikumar was murdered to avenge the death of one Abdul Hakkim from Ganapathy. While his murder was treated as a normal case, the death of Sasikumar has been given undue importance,” he said. 

Sasikumar was hacked to death by a four-member gang at Subramaniyampalayam on September 22, 2016. Following the murder, the CBCID arrested Mubarak of KK Pudur, S Saddam Hussain of Karunanidhi Nagar, S Zubair of GM Nagar and Syed Abu Dhakir of Karumbukadai from hideouts in Kerala, Telangana and AP.