NIA charge-sheets harbourer of proclaimed offender in 2019 Ramalingam murder case

New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday charge-sheeted an accused for harbouring the proclaimed offenders in the 2018 Ramalingam murder case for six years.

The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) worker was hacked to death on February 5, 2019 in Paku Vinayakam Thoppu, Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, by members and office-bearers of the Popular Front of India (PFI), a banned outfit.

Mohammed Ali Jinnah of Batlagundu area in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu has been charge-sheeted before the NIA Special Court, Chennai, under various relevant laws for knowingly providing shelter to the absconding assailants and the conspirators in the case.

The NIA, which took over the case in March 2019, had in August 2019 charge-sheeted 18 accused, six of whom were absconding and had been declared Proclaimed Offenders (POs).

The agency found during investigation that Jinnah had harboured them all in a cottage, an official statement said.

Jinnah was arrested in November 2024 while three of the absconding POs were arrested on different occasions between 2021 and January 2025, it said.

A search is on for the remaining three absconders who are carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh each for information leading to their arrest, said the statement issued by the probe agency.

The case was originally registered by the local police after PFI members hacked Ramalingam to death "after he opposed their forcible religious conversion efforts", it added. PTI AKV KSS KSS