Bengaluru violence: NIA conducts searches at 30 places, arrests key conspirator

BENGALURU: The National Investigation Agency probing the violence in the city last month on Thursday said it conducted searches at 30 places here and arrested a key conspirator, who was absconding.

Identifying the arrested as Sayed Saddiq Ali, a recovery agent with a bank, the agency said he was absconding since August 11 when over 3,000 people went on a rampage torching the residences of Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, his sister Jayanthi and Devara Jeevanahalli and Kadugondanahalli police stations.

The action came days after the NIA took over the investigation into two cases in which the city police has invoked the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The violence broke out over an alleged inflammatory social media post by the nephew of the Congress MLA.