New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key member of the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) in connection with the murder of Kerala-based Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Srinivasan in April last year, the agency said on Friday.

Shihab alias Babu had been on the run since the commission of the crime, the NIA said in a statement, adding its dedicated team successfully traced him to his residence in Kerala’s Malappuram district and subsequently detained him.

Srinivasan was killed in Palakkad on April 16, 2022.

“Investigations revealed that Shihab was an integral part of the terror ecosystem being operated by the Popular Front of India (PFI), which was responsible for orchestrating the murder of Srinivasan,” said the NIA.

It is believed that Shihab, acting in line with a conspiracy hatched by the PFI leaders, harboured Muhammed Hakeem, who, at the behest of PFI leadership, was responsible for the destruction of crucial evidence in the case, said the NIA.

On March 17 this year, the NIA filed a chargesheet against a total of 59 accused in the case. Subsequently, on May 16 this year, NIA’s Absconder Tracking Team achieved a significant milestone by tracking down and apprehending Saheer K V, who had been on the run for long.

So far, the NIA said, a total of 69 individuals have been identified as being involved in the conspiracy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)