Kochi, Aug 13 : A team of National Intelligence Agency (NIA) officials who arrived from Telangana, on Tuesday, broke open popular Maoist leader Murali Kannempilly's home after he failed to open the front door.

Kannempilly is known as Kerala's most-wanted Maoist leader.

The NIA team arrived in Kochi as part of the ongoing probe related to the arrest of Maoist Sanjoy Deepak Rao, the Central Committee Member of CPI (Maoist) in Telangana in September last year.

Rao, an engineer, was wanted by the police of Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and the NIA in various cases.

The NIA team, after knocking at the door of Kannempilly's home, told him that they had a warrant and hence, he should open the door.

Kannempilly said that they would have to wait till his counsel arrived, but the NIA team broke open the front door.

They are presently conducting a search in his house.

71-year-old Kannempilly is considered to be a top Maoist leader and is the son of a former diplomat.

An engineer by profession, Kannempilly has been arrested in the past as well.

Kannempilly is likely to be questioned by the NIA probe team.

He has also authored five books on the Maoist movement under the pen name Ajith, and is believed to have wide-ranging connections with the Maoist movement in the country.

Kannempilly Murali was the only one who represented India at the Revolutionary International Movement (RIM) conference held in France in 1984 and was put in charge of the armed revolution in India and Nepal.

/IANS