Hyderabad/Visakhapatnam, Oct 2 (IANS): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted raids on suspected Maoist sympathizers at several locations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The NIA officials began the searches early morning at the houses of civil liberties activists and leaders of organisations like Amara Bandhu Mitrula Sangham, Kula Nirmula Samithi, Chaitanya Mahila Sangham, their relatives and those closely associated with them.

The officials were reportedly questioning them about their activities and their alleged links with Maoists. They were served notices under section 160 of CrPC, directing them to appear before the agency.

The central agency was conducting searches at the houses of activist Bhavani and lawyer Suresh in Hyderabad.

In Andhra Pradesh, the searches were on at different places like Vijayawada, Ponnuru, Mangalagiri, Bapatla, Nellore, Amadalavalasa and Anantapur.

The NIA officials were searching the house of leading physician and president of Guntur district civil liberties committee Raja Rao in Ponnuru. Search was also on at the residence of his friend T. Subba Rao, who runs Praja Tantra Party.

The searches were also carried out at the houses of Yellanki Venkateshwarlu in Nellore, Kranti Chaitanya in Tirupati and Kavali Balayya in Tirupati. Balayya’s daughter Padma and son-in-law Shekhar were accused in a bomb attack on former chief minister N. Janardhan Reddy.

Similarly the NIA officials were also conducting searches at the houses of D. Venkat Rao in Prakasam district, Srinivasa Rao in Santhamaguluru, Nazar in Rajahmundry, Krishnaiah in Srikakulam and Sriramulu in Anantapur.