Sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday searched the houses of three persons in Coimbatore district as part of their investigation into a training camp conducted by the CPI (Maoist) in Nilambur forests in Kerala in 2016.
Sources said searches were carried out at the houses of S. Danish alias Krishna and Dinesh in Coimbatore city and A. Santhosh Kumar at Angalakurichi near Anamalai.
Danish and Santhosh Kumar are among the 19 persons named as accused in the First Information Report registered by the NIA in connection with its investigation into the meeting-cum-training of CPI (Maoist) held from August 23 to 30, 2016, in a forest near Nilambur in Malappuram district, Kerala.
It was initially investigated by the Edakkara police in Malappuram after registering a case in September 2017.
The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) police station, Kerala, took over the investigation in April 2020.
The investigation was transferred to the NIA in August this year.
The NIA police station, Kochi, re-registered the FIR under Sections 121 and 122 of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 3 read with 25 (1B) (a) of the Arms Act and 18 A, 20 and 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on August 20.
As per the NIA FIR, the accused, active members of proscribed CPI (Maoist), were conducting a camp which had arms training, hoisting of flag, and study classes in connection with the formation day of the organisation.
The said camp was organised by the accused as part of a larger conspiracy to commit terrorist acts by attacking various security agencies of the government with firearms, thereby to wage a war against the country, said the FIR.
Of the 19 persons named in the FIR, some including Manivasagam, Kuppu Devaraj, Ajitha and Velmurugan were killed in encounters by the ‘Thunderbolt’ special force of Kerala.
Another accused Deepak alias Chandu alias Chandru alias Sinik, a key weapon trainer, was arrested by the Special Task Force of Tamil Nadu police in a combing operation near Anaikatti in Coimbatore district on November 9, 2019.
Of the remaining accused, Vikram Gowda is believed to be in Kabini dalam and B.G. Krishnamoorthy is said to be heading Western Ghats zonal committee.
Nineteenth accused Rajan Chittilappilly was arrested by the ATS from in Thrissur in December 2020.
