Three in NIA custody in Kerala for alleged Maoist links

The NIA took two persons into custody in Kerala on Friday in connection with a case pertaining to CPI (Maoist) activities.

According to an official statement from the NIA, many documents supporting left-wing extremism were seized in the raid. The two, identified as Vijith Vijayan and Abhilash, were further examined as part of the investigation. They were found to be instrumental in recruiting two youths from Kozhikode district to CPI (Maoist) who were charge-sheeted recently.

Though there were earlier reports that three were taken into custody by NIA, two from Wayanad and one from Kozhikode, one person was learnt to left off after quizzing. One of them was said to be an online journalist.

The investigation is part of a case registered in connection Maoist activities in Kozhikode district in November last. Already charge-sheet was filed on Monday against three persons, including two CPM activists from Kozhikode district Allan Suhaib and Thwaha Fasal, for alleged Maoist activities. Another accused in the case, C P Usman, was absconding. The fresh actions were based on the information received from the two held earlier.

The NIA statement said that investigation revealed that Vijith and Abhilash were instrumental in recruiting Allan and Thwaha as members of the banned outfit. During searches on Friday several digital devices including eight mobile phones, seven SIM cards, two memory cards, one laptop, seven pen drives, one voice recorder, nine books and numerous documents supporting left-wing extremism and CPI (Maoist) have been seized

The arrest of Allan and Thwaha in November last year and registering UAPA case by Kerala police had triggered a political row with the CPM top leaders itself condemning the action, while Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan justified the police action.