NIA Raids on Naam Tamilar Members

 Chennai: Sleuths from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) started raiding several premises in the State from early morning on Friday when several prominent leaders of the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) came under the radar of the agency that had taken over the probe relating to the manufacturing of guns and ammunitions by two youth in Salem in May 2022.

Among those who found the NIA officers at their houses were NTK candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Tenkasi constituency Isai Mathivanan, well know YouTuber Sattai Duraimurgan, YouTuber Vishnu Pratap of Sivagangai, Ranjith of Alanthurai in Coimbatore district and Murugan of Kalapatti.

The NIA has issued summons to Idumbavanam Karthik, a functionary of NTK, asking him to appear before them on February 5.

The raids and the summons were part of the investigations into the gun-making charges against engineering graduate Sanjay Prakash and MCA degree holder Naveen Chakravorthy, who were caught with an arsenal of two guns, spare parts for guns, knife, bullets, gunpowder and masks during a vehicle check on May 20, 2022, at Pulliampatti by the Omalur police.

The duo was making guns at a rented room in Salem’s Chettichavai and Kapilan, who was assisting them in the arms manufacturing was arrested by the police. The Q Branch police that investigated the case later handed it over to the NIA.

During interrogation, the arrested persons had said to have confessed that they were planning for an arms struggle against those who were destroying nature for gain and that they had obtained explosives used in granite quarries for that.