KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the residence of Maoist ideologue and former leader Murali Kannampilly at Thevakkal near Thrikkakara in Kochi on Tuesday.
The raid, conducted by the NIA Hyderabad unit, 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.
At around 7 a.m., the NIA team, accompanied by local police, arrived at Murali's residence.
Murali, also known as Konath Muralidhran and aged 70, allegedly resisted the NIA officials' entry into his home, demanding the presence of his lawyer before allowing the search. However, as the NIA team had a search warrant obtained from the court, they proceeded to forcibly enter the premises and conducted a search that continued until the afternoon.
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 Malaysian Township in Hyderabad. Following this arrest, the Telangana police charged 23 more individuals, including six from Kerala—Murali, CP Moidheen, CP Ismail, CP Rasheed, and N. Venugopal—among others.
In January 2024, the NIA took over the investigation. 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.