On 25th January, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two proclaimed offenders in connection with the 2019 murder of PMK leader Ramalingam in Tamil Nadu. The arrested accused, Abdul Majeeth and Shahul Hameed, are both residents of Thanjavur district. They were among the six accused declared absconders in the case. Majeeth and Hameed were members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and had been on the run for years.
The two accused carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each, announced by the NIA. The investigative agency apprehended them from an undisclosed location and stated that efforts are underway to arrest the remaining three absconders.
NIA Arrests 2 Absconders in the 2019 PFI-Linked Ramalingam Murder Case pic.twitter.com/5laGwkzNkZ
— NIA India (@NIA_India) January 26, 2025
Ramalingam, a PMK leader and social activist, became a target after he opposed the Dawah activities of the Popular Front of India (PFI). He was killed in a well-orchestrated manner by PFI members on 5th February 2019.
On 28th January, NIA conducted several raids across Tamil Nadu linked to the case.
#Breaking | 2019 Ramalingam murder case
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 28, 2025
– NIA raids across 10 locations in Tamil Nadu
NIA has been enquiring about this matter for the past 5-6 years, and searches are also happening in a few locations in Chennai…: @dharannniii joins @anchoramitaw with details. pic.twitter.com/jKuNgnt2pl
Accused declared proclaimed offenders in December 2022
Notably, according to court documents accessed by OpIndia, on 12th December 2022, a special NIA court in Chennai declared six accused, including Majeeth and Hameed, as proclaimed offenders as they failed to respond to summons issued by the court. The court directed that evidence against the absconders be recorded under Section 299 of the CrPC, allowing for their trial in absentia.
Furthermore, the court also authorised the prosecution to initiate action under Section 83 of the CrPC for the seizure of properties belonging to the accused. While Rahman Sadiq, one of the proclaimed offenders, was arrested in 2021, the others continued to evade capture until the recent breakthrough.
Chronology of NIA’s investigation
The NIA’s investigation into the Ramalingam murder case has spanned several years. The matter was officially transferred to the NIA on 7th March 2019, following which the central investigative agency re-registered the case. The original FIR in the matter was filed on 6th February 2019 by Tamil Nadu police. The incident was classified as a terrorist act under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), prompting the NIA’s involvement.
The first major action in the matter was taken by the NIA in May 2019 when the agency raided 20 locations in Tamil Nadu, including the homes of the accused, offices of the PFI, and other sites linked to the conspiracy. During these searches, the NIA seized an array of incriminating materials, including 16 mobile phones, 21 SIM cards, laptops, hard drives, and over 100 documents. The agency also recovered weapons, including a sword and a sharp-edged knife, and Rs 2 lakh in cash. The recovered evidence further established the premeditated and violent nature of the crime.
The first arrests in the case were made in May and June 2019. Key conspirators in the case, including Mohammed Faruk and Myden Ahmed Shali, were arrested. Faruk, a resident of Trichy, was apprehended after evidence linking him to the attack and subsequent conspiracy came to light. Furthermore, Shali, identified as the head of the Dawah team involved in the altercation with Ramalingam, was arrested a month later. Both arrests were critical to the investigation as they unveiled the role of PFI leaders in orchestrating the murder.
Over the years, the NIA’s investigation expanded, focusing on the absconding accused. In July 2023, the agency conducted statewide raids at 21 locations in Tamil Nadu. The agency recovered digital evidence and documents tied to the PFI’s activities.
NIA CONDUCTS STATE-WIDE RAIDS IN TAMIL NADU IN RAMALINGAM MURDER CASE. pic.twitter.com/6uM9tMJgjc
— NIA India (@NIA_India) July 24, 2023
Similarly, in August 2024, the NIA searched 15 locations in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry, aiming to track the proclaimed offenders.
NIA Arrests 2 Absconders in the 2019 PFI-Linked Ramalingam Murder Case pic.twitter.com/5laGwkzNkZ
— NIA India (@NIA_India) January 26, 2025
The recent arrests of Majeeth and Hameed mark a crucial milestone in the investigation. They had been on the run since 2019 and were traced to their hideouts after years of meticulous efforts by the NIA. Three accused remain absconding, and the agency is pursuing the matter to arrest them.
NIA’s charge sheet reveals premeditated conspiracy
The NIA filed a charge sheet on 2nd August 2019 against 18 accused in the Ramalingam murder case before the NIA Special Court in Chennai. The charge sheet invoked multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 341, 294(b), 302, and 120B, as well as Sections 15, 16, 18, 18B, 19, and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The document detailed the sequence of events leading to the murder and provided evidence of a criminal conspiracy hatched by the accused to eliminate Ramalingam for opposing the Dawah activities of the Popular Front of India (PFI).
According to the charge sheet, the confrontation between Ramalingam and the PFI’s Dawah team on the morning of 5th February 2019 triggered the crime. The accused met at the Periyapalli mosque and planned the violent attack to send a chilling message to those resisting religious conversions. Later that night, Ramalingam was ambushed near his home in Paku Vinayakam Thoppu, where he was brutally assaulted with weapons, including a billhook and knives. His hands were chopped off in the attack, and he succumbed to his injuries.
The NIA’s investigation established that several of the accused played specific roles in the conspiracy. While some carried out reconnaissance on Ramalingam’s movements, others provided logistical support, including vehicles and weapons. The head of the Dawah team, Myden Ahmed Shali, participated in planning the attack, while key PFI leaders oversaw the execution. The NIA categorised the killing as a terrorist act intended to spread communal discord and terrorise dissenters.
Among the 18 accused named in the charge sheet, 10 were initially arrested, while six were declared absconders. Two of the absconders, Abdul Majeeth and Shahul Hameed, were apprehended recently, marking significant progress in the case.
Details of the case
The investigation revealed that the murder of Ramalingam was not a random act of violence. It was a meticulously planned conspiracy. Ramalingam, a PMK leader and social activist, became a target of the Popular Front of India (PFI) after he opposed their Dawah activities. The PFI had sent a Dawah team to the village of Pakku Vinayakam Thoppu in Thanjavur district to carry out religious conversions among underprivileged Hindus.
On 5th February 2019, Ramalingam confronted the Dawah team and challenged their attempts to convert Hindus to Islam. During the heated altercation, Ramalingam publicly expressed his dissent against forced conversions. According to the NIA’s investigation, the confrontation enraged the PFI members, who viewed him as a threat to their conversion agenda. A criminal conspiracy was hatched by PFI and SDPI members to eliminate him and send a strong message to those opposing their activities.
OpIndia accessed copy of a bail order of accused no.2, Mohamed Riyas, in the case, that provided more details about the conspiracy and the murder. The accused named in the case are: Mohammed Asarudeen (A-1), Mohammed Riyas (A-2), Nijam Ali (A-3), Sarbudeen (A-4), Mohammed Rizwan (A-5), Mohammed Thoufik (A-6), Mohammed Farvees (A-7), Thowheeth Batcha (A-8), Mohammed Ibrahim (A-9), Mohammed Hasan Kuthous (A-10), Rahman Sadiq (A-11), Mohammad Ali Jinnah (A-12), Abdul Majeeth (A-13), Bhurkhanudeen (A-14), Shahul Hameed (A-15), Nafeel Hasan (A-16), Mohammed Faruk (A-17), and Myden Ahamed Shali (A-18). All these accused have been implicated in connection with the conspiracy and murder of Ramalingam.
According to the details mentioned in the court document accessed by OpIndia, on the day of the incident, 5th February 2019, members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), including Majeeth, Shali, and others, were engaged in Dawah work in the village of Pakku Vinayakam Thoppu in Thanjavur district. This Dawah activity was reportedly focused on converting underprivileged Hindus to Islam, a practice that Ramalingam, a local PMK leader and social activist, opposed vehemently. Around 8:30 AM, Ramalingam encountered the Dawah team and confronted them about their activities.
During the altercation, Ramalingam, in a symbolic gesture to demonstrate the equality of religions, removed the religious skull cap of Shali, a Dawah team leader, and placed it on his own head, while also applying holy ash on Shali’s forehead. The situation escalated into a heated verbal exchange, but it was temporarily defused with the intervention of local villagers. Ramalingam’s son, who was present at the scene, recorded a portion of the confrontation on his mobile phone.
Despite the peaceful dispersal, the confrontation enraged the PFI members. By late morning, a conspiracy was hatched by PFI leaders, including Shali, Majeeth, and others, near the Periyapalli mosque. They decided to “teach a lesson” to Ramalingam and deter any future opposition to their Dawah activities. The conspirators met again later that day to finalise the plan.
By night, PFI members, including Hameed, Shali, and Majeeth, organised reconnaissance of Ramalingam’s movements. Around 11:15 PM, as Ramalingam and his son were returning home in their mini-truck, the assailants ambushed them near New Muslim Street in Thirubhuvanam. The narrow street forced Ramalingam to halt his vehicle, giving the attackers the opportunity to block his path using a Maruti Swift Dzire car.
The attackers, armed with lethal weapons, forcibly stopped Ramalingam and assaulted him. They threw chilli powder at him, immobilising him briefly, and then inflicted severe injuries, including chopping off his hands. Despite his son’s cries for help and the alarm raised by nearby residents, the attackers fled the scene in their car. Ramalingam was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly after midnight on 6th February 2019.
Mohammed Asarudeen and Mohammed Riyas, along with eight other accused approached the Madras High Court seeking bail. The plea was heard by a bench comprising Honourable Mr Justice P.N. Prakash and Honourable Mr Justice RMT. Teekaa Raman. However, the court rejected the bail petitions, citing the gravity of the offence and the available evidence.
While rejecting the bail plea, the court emphasised that the materials gathered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the testimonies of witnesses so far did not meet the conditions stipulated under Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act to grant bail to the appellants. The court noted that there were “reasonable grounds for believing that the accusations against the appellants were prima facie true” and directed the trial court to expedite the examination of protected witnesses.
The trial against 13 accused in underway in Special NIA Court in Chennai.
Details included in this report are based on Special NIA Court, NIA Press Releases and Madras High Court documents connected to the case.
