Terror crackdown: NIA arrests 45 PFI cadres, 5 of them from TS, AP
NIA arrested 45 people during the raids. Of them, 19 accused have been arrested from Kerala, 11 from Tamil Nadu, 7 from Karnataka, 4 from Andhra Pradesh, 2 from Rajasthan, and 1 each from UP and Telangana.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 23 Sep 2022 4:02 AM GMT
Terror crackdown: NIA arrests 45 PFI cadres, 5 of them from TS, AP
Launching a massive crackdown against the Popular Front of India (PFI), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with state police forces and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided 93 locations in 15 states across the country.
NIA arrested 45 people during the raids. Of them, 19 accused have been arrested from Kerala, 11 from Tamil Nadu, 7 from Karnataka, 4 from Andhra Pradesh, 2 from Rajasthan, and 1 each from UP and Telangana.
Those arrested from Andhra Pradesh have been identified as Abdul Rahim, Abdul Wahid Ali, Shaik Zafrulla, and Ryaz Ahmed. Abdul Warsi has been arrested from Telangana.
Searches were conducted at the premises linked to PFI in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal, Bihar, and Manipur.
During the searches, incriminating documents, cash, sharp-edged weapons, and a large number of digital devices have been seized.
These searches were conducted at the houses and offices of the top Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders and members in connection with 5 cases registered by the NIA. The raids followed inputs and evidence that the PFI leaders and cadres were involved in the funding of terrorism and terrorist activities, organizing training camps for providing armed training, and radicalizing people to join banned organizations.
A large number of criminal cases have been registered by different states over the last few years against the PFI and its leaders and members for their involvement in many violent acts. Criminal violent acts carried out by PFI such as chopping off the hand of a college professor, cold-blooded killings of persons associated with organizations espousing other faiths, collection of explosives to target prominent people and places, support to Islamic State, and destruction of public property have had a demonstrative effect of striking terror in the minds of the citizens.
