New Delhi, 19th March 2024: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on 18th March, 2024 Monday traced and arrested a key absconding member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) for the 2022 gruesome murder of RSS leader Srinivasan in Kerala.
Shafeekh, who had been absconding since the targeted killing of Srinivasan in Palakkad on 16th April 2022, was tracked by the NIA Absconder Tracking Team to Kollam district. He was taken into custody by the anti-terror agency for his involvement in the case (RC-02/2022/NIA/ KOC).
A total of 71 persons have been identified as being part of the horrendous conspiracy, in which NIA has already filed two Chargesheets, on 17th March 2023 and 6th November, 2023. One of the accused, identified as Abdul Naser, had died on 2nd January 2023, while two absconders, Saheer K V and Jaffar Bheemantavida, were arrested respectively on 19th October 2023 and 12th February 2024.
A resident of Malappuram district, Shafeekh, was part of the PFI machinery & Hit Squads that had carried out the heinous killing of Srinivasan. As per NIA investigations, he had harboured Ashraf K P, who, under directions from the PFI leadership, had conspired with other leaders and cadres of the organisation to execute the conspiracy. Ashraf had also conducted recce of various potential targets for elimination.
