CHENNAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on December 16 arrested the last of the six absconding accused in the PMK functionary Ramalingam murder case.
In a statement, the NIA said the arrested man was identified as Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a resident of Thanjavur district, who had been declared a proclaimed offender and was carrying a reward of ₹5 lakh for information leading to his arrest. Ramalingam was hacked to death in Thanjavur on February 5, 2019, in a case in which members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) have been accused. Ramalingam had opposed their religous conversion activities ( Da’wah) by visiting residences in Hindu-dominated areas.
The NIA said its investigation revealed the role of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who had earlier served as the district president of the PFI in Thanjavur, in conspiring, supervising and coordinating with other accused in the killing of Ramalingam. It said Jinnah was arrested based on specific inputs received from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) unit of the Tamil Nadu Police.
The NIA also arrested Asmath, who is accused of having harboured the proclaimed offenders in the case for several years. The agency said the arrests marked a significant development, as Jinnah was the last remaining absconding proclaimed offender. These arrests came days after the NIA apprehended two other absconding proclaimed offenders and three additional harbourers in the same case. Those arrests were made five days earlier in connection with the case registered as RC-06/2019/NIA/DLI.
6Th Absconder & 1 more Harbourer Arrested by NIA in Ramalingam Murder Case pic.twitter.com/J6wwnmZOYB
— NIA India (@NIA_India) December 16, 2025
The NIA had taken over the investigation from the Thiruvidaimaruthur police on March 7, 2019, and subsequently filed a chargesheet in August 2019. The agency said it continues to investigate the larger conspiracy behind the murder.
In another major breakthrough in the Ramalingam murder case in 2019, the NIA had arrested two absconding proclaimed offenders and three more harbourers of the assailants involved in the killing of Ramalingam on December 10. Natives of Thanjavur district, Mohamed Burhanudeen and Mohamed Nabil Hasan had been proclaimed offenders on the run for nearly seven years. They were caught from Pallikonda in Vellore district on the basis of inputs received by the NIA from sister agencies. Members of the PFI in Thanjavur district, the duo had conspired and coordinated with several others to murder Ramalingam by chopping his hands.
Following their arrest, the NIA in December also arrested three more harbourers involved in the case. Hailing from Chennai district, K. Mohideen, Mohamed Imran and Thameem Ansari were found to have facilitated the concealment and movement of the absconders after the murder.
In 2021, the NIA arrested one of the absconders, Rahman Sadiq. In November 2024, the agency traced Abdul Majeed and Shahul Hameed to the Poombarai area of Kodaikanal in Dindigul district and also arrested a harbourer, Jinnah, who was named as the 19th accused in the case. The NIA had announced a reward of ₹5,00,000 each for information leading to the arrest of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Burhanudeen and Nafeel Hasan—all residents of Thanjavur district and former office-bearers of the PFI.
As on December 2025, five of the proclaimed offenders had been arrested, while Mohammad Ali Jinnah was at large. Earlier, in August, the NIA searched nine locations in Tamil Nadu and arrested Imthathullah, proprietor of Ambur Biryani Hotels in Kodaikanal, from Dindigul district. During the searches, the NIA arrested Imthathullah for knowingly and voluntarily harbouring absconding offenders in his hotel outlets from 2021 onwards. The NIA said, “Incriminating documents and digital devices were also seized during the searches conducted in Dindigul and Tenkasi districts.”
