In an operation to crack down on Maoist links, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Hyderabad unit conducted a raid at the residence of Maoist ideologue and former leader Murali Kannampilly at Thevakkal near Thrikkakara in Kochi on Tuesday.
The raid was part of an investigation into anti-national activities carried out by a Maoist group led by Sanjay Deepak Rao in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
A team of NIA officials from Telangana arrived at Murali’s house in Thevakkal near Thrikkakara on Tuesday with a warrant, but he refused to open the door.
Murali,also known as Konath Muralidharan insisted on the arrival of his lawyer before letting the NIA sleuths, but the officials broke open the door and entered the premises, where Murali lives with his son.
The NIA claimed to have recovered several documents from the house. Murali will be questioned based on the evidence collected, and a summons will be issued soon.
Murali had previously been arrested in a Maoist-related case in Maharashtra in May 2015 and was released on bail in 2019.
Sanjay Deepak Rao, a Central Committee Member and Secretary of the Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee, was a senior leader from Thane district in Maharashtra. He was arrested by Telangana police on September 15, 2023, from Hyderabad. The NIA Kochi unit had previously interrogated Sanjay while he was in custody, as he faced accusations in a Wayanad Maoist case involving the recruitment and training of youngsters.
The raid is seen as a significant development in the ongoing crackdown on Maoist activities in the country. Recently, Maoist leader C P Moideen, accused in 36 criminal cases, was arrested by Kerala police’s Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) on August 2 from Alappuzha.