Counter-terrorism agencies arrest key accused in Kerala RSS leader murder case

The NIA said Shafiq was a prominent member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). (representative)

New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Shafiq, the prime accused in the 2022 murder case of RSS leader Srinivasan in Kerala, according to an official statement released on Tuesday.

Shafiq has been on the run since the targeted killing of Srinivasan in Palakkad on April 16, 2022, and was tracked by the NIA absconder tracking team in the state’s Colon district, the report said.

He was detained by the counter-terrorism agency on Monday for his involvement in the case, the National Intelligence Agency said in a statement.

According to reports, Shafiq is an important missing member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

A total of 71 people were identified as being involved in the conspiracy and the NIA had filed two chargesheets on March 17 and November 6 last year.

The NIA said that one of the accused, Abdul Naser, died on January 2 last year and two absconders, Saheer KV and Jaffar Bheemantavida, were arrested on October 19 and February 12 respectively.

Shafiq, a resident of Malappuram district in Kerala, was a member of the PFI agency and the assassination team that killed Srinivasan.

According to the investigation, he harbored Ashraf KP, who conspired with members of the organization on the instructions of the PFI leadership to execute the conspiracy, the NIA said, adding that Ashraf also conducted investigations against various potential targets for elimination.

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