KOCHI: Kannur native who was arrested for harbouring the professor hand-chopping case prime accused Savad was an active Popular Front of India (PFI) activist and accused of multiple criminal cases.
Safeer C, 33, of Vilakkode near Iritty in Kannur, was nabbed by NIA on Thursday and was shifted to Kochi on Friday.
It was on Thursday afternoon, the NIA team from Kochi caught Safeer from Thalassery court premises.
“He was a key accused in the murder of an ABVP activist Shyama Prasad in Kannur. After the arrest of Savad in January this year, Safeer was at large. Due to prolonged absence from the murder case proceedings at the court in Thalassery, a warrant was issued against him. NIA received information that he would be arriving at the court and deployed its team there. He was nabbed when he reached the court," sources in Police Special Branch said.
Savad who chopped the hand of Professor TJ Joseph on July 2010 was arrested from Mattanur in January this year. He stayed at Valappattanam and Iritty before shifting to Mattanur working as a carpenter. It was Safeer who arranged a hideout for Sawad at various places in Kannur.
He also arranged fake identity cards for Savad, the sources said. "Safeer was involved in five cases. Apart from the murder case, other cases are related to the activities of PFI in Kannur and nearby districts. Also, he was involved in cases related to agitations organised by," the sources said.
NIA has received information about other PFI activists who aided Savad in Kannur. These PFI activists are currently underground knowing that the NIA is after them. Safeer was produced before the NIA court in Kochi on Friday.
NIA submitted an application at the court seeking his custody for five days. The court decided to consider the application on August 29. NIA also filed a report arraigning Safeer as an accused in the professor hand-chopping case. He was later remanded to judicial custody till September 20.