Pan-India NIA raids on PFI continue in 8 states, 247 arrested so far

Trouble continues to mount for the Popular Front of India (PFI) as the National Investigation Agency conducts new raids across Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh early this morning.

The development comes as PFI has been accused of terror funding, providing weapons training to Muslim youth, and radicalising them to join terrorist organisations. The recent action is based on intelligence inputs provided by the NIA.

The Delhi Police special cell and the central agency are conducting raids at several places, including Nizamuddin, Shaheen Bagh area, Rohini, and Jamia. In the national capital, over thirty people have been arrested, which is the highest in any state today.

In Maharashtra, there have been reports of raids in Aurangabad, Solapur, Mumbai's suburbs, Thane, Mumbra. Four have been arrested from Mumbra.

The local police on Tuesday early morning arrested 40 PFI members, raiding their houses in Karnataka's Bagalkote, Bidar, Chamarajanagar, Chitradurga, Ramanagara, Mangaluru, Koppal, Bellari, Kolar, Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Vijayapura districts. More than 75 PFI and SDPI workers were taken into preventive custody in the state, further anticipating violent protests.

Additionally, in Madhya Pradesh, 21 PFI workers have been detained, while in UP, four people have been taken into custody.

Assam Police CPRO also said that 25 PFI leaders and members have been arrested so far today in districts including Kamrup Rural (5), Goalpara (10), Karimganj (1), Udalguri (1), Darrang (1), Dhubri (3), Barpeta (2), Baksa (2).

The recent raids come a week after more than 106 members of PFI were arrested by the NIA and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The agency is currently investigating a total of 19 PFI-related cases. The Central agency has stated that over 46 accused were arrested and later convicted in 2010 and 2011.

Published on: Tuesday, September 27, 2022, 10:04 AM IST