20% cases registered by agency are from state, but it fails to arrest key accused in many
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Kochi: The National Investigating Agency is probing 20 cases in the state, which is one fifth of the total NIA cases registered in the country.
As on date, a total of 106 cases have been registered by the premier investigating agency. From the day of NIA’s inception, a number of cases have been handed over to the agency from Kerala.
But the investigation in many cases is heading nowhere. “In many cases, the agency failed to make any headway and arrest the key accused. A close scrutiny of the chargesheets in the NIA cases shows that most of the accused are the ones arrested by the police,” a source said.
The NIA court convicted 10 persons and let off 18 Popular Front of India activists in the hand-chopping case investigated by the agency.
It is yet to arrest the key conspirator M.K. Nazar and Savad who chopped prof. T. J. Joseph's palm. The agency failed to seize even the weapon used to attack Joseph.
Though it has probed many counterfeit currency cases and filed chargesheets in several cases, it has failed to control the flow of illicit money to Kerala. Still local police are registering fake currency cases.
According to SP S. Rahul of NIA, the agency is hit by staff shortage.
“We just have 45 personnel and 20 odd cases to investigate. Unlike other agencies we have to help the prosecution. The investigation in all the cases is going in the right direction,” he said.
The NIA is investigating Binanipuram SIMI activity and Wagamon SIMI camp case, Kalamassery bus torching case, the Italian marine case, nine-odd counterfeit currency cases of Nedumbassery, Kondotty, Thaliparamba and Kasargod, Narath case, Mavelikkara Maoist case and apprehension of 12 Iranians on a boat and the recovery of suspected items.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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