NIA Mulls Custody Of Telangana-based Member Of Banned PFI

A case was registered against Ahad, a resident of Autonagar near Malapalli in Nizamabad district and 28 others in July, 2022.

Nizamabad: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is planning to take into custody Mohammed Abdul Ahad, a key member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), who surrendered in court two days ago after being in hiding for two-and-a-half years.

A case was registered against Ahad, a resident of Autonagar near Malapalli in Nizamabad district of Telangana and 28 others in July, 2022. The charges against Ahad, and Abdul Qadir, a key leader of PFI, include preparing local youth as anti-social elements under the guise of self-defence education and conspiring to incite riots. Out of the total 28 accused, 22, including Qadir (A-1), have been arrested over the last two-and-a-half years. Six others—A-2, 4, 6, 23, 25, and 27 are still absconding. Ahad, who was A-2, surrendered before the Fourth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge (MSJ) in the NIA Special Court at Nampally on Wednesday.

The NIA is seeking his custody to interrogate him and identify his associates during his time in hiding. A custody petition is reportedly being prepared to facilitate the investigation.

The NIA in its chargesheet on December 29, 2022 before its special court in Hyderabad had stated, "Investigations have revealed that the accused persons were radicalizing gullible Muslim youth and recruiting them into the PFI through speeches filled with hatred and venom against the government of India as well as other organisations and individuals. Once recruited into the PFI, the Muslim youth were sent to Training Camps organized by the PFI under the cover and guise of Yoga Classes and Physical Education (PE) Beginners Course (BC), where they were trained in the use of everyday articles (knife, sickle and iron rods) to kill a person by attacking vulnerable body parts, such as throat, stomach and head and for commission of terror acts".