Ramalingam murder: NIA charges 4 ex-PFI cadres for harbouring killers

The NIA filed a chargesheet against four former PFI members for harbouring proclaimed offenders involved in the 2019 Ramalingam murder case. They allegedly sheltered the killers for nearly six years to create communal disharmony.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed charges against four former cadres of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) for harbouring the proclaimed offenders (POs) involved in the Ramalingam murder case. The chargesheet filed on Saturday before the Special NIA Court at Poonamallee, Chennai (Tamil Nadu), has named K. Mohideen, Mohamed Imran, Thameem Ansari, and Asmath for knowingly harbouring the assailants and conspirators involved in the fatal attack on Ramalingam in Thirubhuvanam as part of a larger conspiracy aimed at creating communal disharmony and terror. They have been charged under Section 61(2) of BNS and Section 249 BNS r/w 19 UA (P) Act.

Background of the Murder

Ramalingam was brutally killed on February 5, 2019, by PFI members who got into an altercation with him when he tried to stop them from undertaking forcible religious conversions near Pakku Vinayakam Thoppu.

Investigation and Previous Arrests

NIA's investigations in the case RC-06/2019/NIA/DLI revealed that the four accused had sheltered two POs, namely Mohamed Burhanudeen and Mohamed Nabil Hassan, for nearly six years despite being aware of their role in the murder. Earlier, NIA had chargesheeted 18 accused, including six absconding POs, in the case. Four of the POs were subsequently arrested by NIA. The agency later also nabbed two other harbourers, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Imthathulla, and chargesheeted them in May 2025 and February 2026, respectively. Investigations in the case are continuing. (ANI)

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