After extensive searches in various parts of Tamil Nadu, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested another five accused, taking the total number of arrests in the Tamil Nadu PFI criminal conspiracy case to 15.
The searches were conducted by the NIA at six locations in the districts of Theni, Dindigul, Madurai and Chennai. Places searched included properties of the accused, mostly houses and farmhouses. A host of incriminating material, including sharp edged weapons, digital devices and documents, were seized during the searches, leading to the arrest of the five accused.
Details of accused arrested
The five arrested accused have been identified as Abdul Razzak (aged 47, r/o Chennai), Advocate Mohamed Yusuf, (aged 35 years, r/o Madurai), Advocate . M. Mohamed Abbas (aged 45, r/o Madurai), Kyzer A (aged 45, r/o Dindigul district) and Sathik Ali (aged 39, r/o Theni district).
Details of PFI case
The case, relating to unlawful and anti-national activities of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), was initially registered by NIA on 19th September 2022 as RC-42/2022/NIA/DLI. The NIA had filed a chargesheet against 10 accused persons on 17th March 2023.
The agency said that investigations had revealed that the accused had conspired and planned to eliminate their ‘perceived enemies’ who were not aligned to the PFI ideology and were opposed to its plans to establish an Islamic State in India by 2047.
“In pursuance of the conspiracy, the accused persons had radicalised a large number of PFI cadres, especially youth, hand-picked by the outfit’s leadership, and had also trained them in the use of different kinds of weapons to assault, maim and kill their adversaries,” the agency alleged.
Further investigations are in progress.
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