The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday (July 22) arrested another key absconder in the murder case of RSS leader Sreenivasan, who was hacked to death in Kerala on April 16, 2022. The arrested accused, Muhammadali K.P., the PFI’s Palakkad district president, was taken into custody at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi upon his arrival from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he had been hiding for the past four years.
With this, the total number of accused arrested in the case has risen to 67.
Muhammadali K.P., who hails from Palakkad district in Kerala, is among the 65 accused chargesheeted so far in this case. He is facing charges under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P) Act].
According to the NIA, the wanted accused was a prominent conspirator in the murder plot and had also harboured the assailants involved in the brutal killing of Sreenivasan on April 16, 2022.
The agency had earlier announced a reward of Rs. 3 lakh for information leading to his arrest, while an Interpol Red Notice had also been issued against him.
The NIA stated that Sreenivasan was killed by PFI cadres as part of the banned organisation’s conspiracy to unleash terror with the objective of establishing Islamic Rule in India by 2047.
The agency, which registered the case in September 2022, said its investigation found that the accused had conspired to create a communal divide through violent extremism and jihad in the country.
The investigation further revealed that the PFI allegedly operated through various wings and units established for this purpose, using its offices, campuses, facilities and infrastructure to impart arms training to selected cadres under the guise of physical education and yoga training through its PE Wing.
According to the NIA, the organisation’s Reporters Wing was tasked with collecting information on prospective targets, while the actual terror acts were executed by its Service Teams.
The NIA said the investigation into the case is continuing.
More recently, on July 4, 2026, PFI weapon trainer Ayoob surrendered before the NIA Special Court in Kochi in connection with the same case.
The arrest follows a series of major breakthroughs in the NIA’s investigation into this case. On April 4, 2025, the agency arrested the main absconding assailant, Shamnad E.K. @ Shamnad Illikkal, from Ernakulam after a three-year manhunt. A resident of Manjeri in Kerala’s Malappuram district, Shamnad was carrying a reward of Rs. 7 lakh and had allegedly been living under a concealed identity under the protection of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) since the murder.
Subsequently, on September 27, 2025, the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet against Shamnad before the NIA Special Court in Ernakulam. The agency described him as the main assailant and the 65th accused to be chargesheeted in the case.
With these arrests NIA has further tightened the investigation into the conspiracy behind the murder of RSS leader Sreenivasan, while the agency has stated that the investigation is continuing.
