Sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigating the murder of Hindu Munnani spokesperson C. Sasikumar searched the houses of four accused in the case on Sunday hoping to unearth some evidence. The searches were conducted at the houses of A. Mubarak, S. Subair, Sadam Hussain and Syed Abuthahir. The NIA had taken over the probe in the case from the Special Investigation Division (SID) of CB-CID in January this year.
Sources said that searches started in the wee hours of Sunday with assistance from the city police. Houses of each accused were checked by a team of six NIA personnel for more than four hours.
Phones, 2-wheeler seized
The NIA team reportedly took three mobile phones from the house of Abuthahir of which one belonged to his wife.
A two-wheeler belonging to Subair and its documents were also confiscated during searches at his house.
Newspaper clippings on the developments in the case and a few receipts including one relating to a donation given to the Popular Front of India (PFI) were reportedly taken during searches at Hussain’s house.
From Mubaraq’s house, the agency, sources claimed, collected a few memory cards, a list of phone numbers, a volunteer’s tag (of a blood donation camp organised by the PFI) and his wife’s diary.
A. Nowfal, counsel for the four accused, said that the agency conducted the searches after the special court in Poonamallee dismissed the NIA’s petition seeking custody of Subair and Mubarak. He said the agency had also summoned Hussain and Abuthahir – who were granted bail – to its temporary office in Coimbatore and questioned them on March 15 and 16.
The agency started investigation in the case after registering an FIR under Sections 302, 153A and 120B of the IPC and under sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, on January 29.
