Over 100 leaders of the Popular Front of India (PFI) were detained during raids across 10 states by a joint team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and state police forces, according to sources on Thursday. This was the largest-ever operation.

The largest investigation process to date is including many locations for searches. Others who are involved in “funding terrorism, organising training camps, and radicalising people to join proscribed organisations” have their homes and places of business searched.

According to sources, “In a major action across 10 states, NIA, ED and state police have arrested more than 100 cadres of PFI.”

The sources also added that Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and many more states are subject to these raids by the NIA and ED.

Earlier also the NIA had detained four persons when they raided 40 locations in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana in a PFI case.

In the case involving Abdul Khader of the Nizamabad district in Telangana and 26 other people, the agency had then conducted searches at 38 locations in Telangana (twenty-three in Nizamabad, four in Hyderabad, seven in Jagityal, two in Nirmal, one in each of Adilabad and Karimnagar districts), as well as two locations in Andhra Pradesh (one in Kurnool and one in Nellore districts).

The NIA had confiscated incriminating items during the operation, including digital gadgets, papers, two daggers, and Rs 8,31,500 in cash.

According to the NIA, the accused were, “organizing camps for imparting training to commit terrorist acts and to promote enmity between different groups on the basis of religion”

The National Investigation Agency, on Thursday morning, sealed the office of the Popular Front of India.

The development is a result of the NIA and ED’s widespread operation against PFI members.

NIA personnel arrived at the PFI office in the Chandrayanagutta neighbourhood of the capital city and searched the location. According to reports, during the operations, documents, pen drives, and computer hard drives were taken.

The NIA officers later sealed the office. It has been reported that the National General Secretary of the Popular Front of India, Anis Ahmad, and its All India President, O.M.A. Salam, have been taken into custody in Kozhikode, North Kerala.

During the raids, the NIA investigators were provided with the required security by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

After the NIA and ED took into custody the top functionaries of the PFI following the all-India raids, protests ignited across Kerela.

Approximately 100 PFI activists, including its senior national officials, have reportedly been arrested from roughly 50 different locations across the state, according to information received.

The Kerela police was not a part of the operation which the agencies launched at 4 am with the assistance of central agencies

The PFI leaders are being questioned by NIA in connection with a case involving terrorism while the ED is looking into a money laundering case.
Chairman OMA Salam, Nasarudhin Elamaram, P. Koya, and a number of other people have been arrested.

A senior PFI leader, A. Abdul Sathar described the raids as a component of the “RSS agenda” to “annihilating” the minority community.

Sathar further said, “We strongly object to this act of the Centre and we warn the authorities that if our detained leaders are not released, we will not sit idle. We will soon decide on the next course of action and it includes calling for a total ‘Kerala shut down’ on Friday.”

The raids were carried out at Malappuram, Kozhikode, Palakkad, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Central forces were used for moving Salam’s son who protested the arrest.
Unconfirmed sources state that the top leaders who are now in custody are being transferred to other locations, including Delhi.