Chennai: Several leaders of Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK), a Tamil nationalist outfit known for its controversial stands on several issues, on Friday came under the radar of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in an LTTE-inspired arms seizure case.
Residences and offices of Idumbavanam Karthik, ‘Sattai’ Duraimurugan, and other leaders of the NTK led by actor-turned politician S Seeman, were searched by NIA sleuths across the state.
NIA said seizures from the state-wide searches included incriminating documents and books related to the LTTE, a banned outfit in India, and its supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, mobile phones, laptops, sim cards, and memory devices.
NTK, which eulogises Velupillai Prabhakaran who is believed to have ordered the slaying of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, emerged as the third-largest political party in terms of vote share in the 2021 Assembly polls by garnering nearly 7 per cent votes.
Meanwhile, Karthik filed an urgent writ petition in the Madras High Court against the summons issued to him by the NIA and accused it of “arm-twisting” the party ahead of the 2024 elections. A bench of justices M S Ramesh and Sunder Mohan disposed of the case since NIA submitted that they were not planning to arrest Karthik.
The case was originally registered by the Tamil Nadu Police following the arrest of two men, identified as Naveen Chakravorty and Sanjay Prakash, during vehicle checking in Salem on May 19, 2022. They were arrested after being found in possession of two pistols, ammunition and gun powder.
“Investigations revealed that the duo was inspired by the LTTE and wanted to establish an outfit similar to the LTTE and wage an armed struggle in Tamil Nadu,” the NIA, which took over the case in July 2022, said.
Published 02 February 2024, 16:21 IST