The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested the last of the six absconding proclaimed offenders in the murder of PMK functionary Ramalingam, who was hacked to death in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu in 2019. A person who had allegedly harboured the accused was also arrested.
The absconding accused has been identified as Mohammed Ali Jinnah of Thanjavur district, who was carrying a reward of ₹5 lakh on his arrest. Ramalingam was killed on February 5, 2019, allegedly by members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).
According to a NIA press release, Jinnah, a former district president of the PFI in Thanjavur, played a key role in conspiring, supervising and coordinating the attack along with other accused. He was arrested based on specific information received from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Tamil Nadu police.
The agency also arrested Asmath, who is accused of having harboured the absconding accused for several years.
The arrests come days after the NIA took into custody two more absconding proclaimed offenders and three alleged harbourers in the case.
The NIA had taken over the investigation from the Thiruvidaimaruthur police on March 7, 2019, and filed a chargesheet in August the same year. The agency said further investigations into the larger conspiracy behind the murder were continuing.
Published – December 16, 2025 07:14 pm IST
