NEW DELHI, 2 AUG

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted extensive searches at 18 locations in various districts in connection with the Bajrang Dal member Suhas Shetty targeted killing case.

Shetty was publicly assaulted and brutally murdered by the accused -- Abdul Safwan -- and others using lethal weapons in the Bajpe area of Mangaluru City in May this year, said a statement issued by the NIA.

The killing was intended to spread terror in the society, it said.

The NIA, which took over the case from the local police in June, searched the residences of the 12 arrested individuals and various suspects in the case.

The searches, carried out in the districts of Mangaluru, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan, led to the seizure of various digital devices, including 11 mobile phones, 13 SIM cards and eight memory cards along with other incriminating documents, the probe agency said.

The investigation into the conspiracy behind the killing is continuing, it added. Shetty was travelling in a vehicle with his associates on 1 May when five to six assailants, who came in a car and a pick-up vehicle, intercepted him. The assailants attacked Shetty with sharp weapons, causing grievous injuries. He was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.