Thiruvananthapuram: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday was conducting raids at four places of former activists of the banned Islamist organisation, Popular Front of India (PFI).
The raids were being held at four residences of former PFI activists in the Tirur and Tanur areas of Malappuram district. Sources in the Malappuram district police told IANS that they were informed just before the commencement of the raids.
The raids, which began early morning, were being held simultaneously. Earlier, the NIA had held raids and sealed the PFI headquarters, Green Valley in Manjeri in Malappuram district. The PFI was banned by the Union Home Ministry in September 2022 and most of the frontline leaders of the Islamist organisation were jailed.
The PFI is accused in several murder cases across the country and was working towards converting India into an Islamic nation. Further details regarding the raids are awaited. On April 25, The NIA launched fresh raids on the cadres of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in multiple states across the country. It is learnt that the fresh raids have been launched at more than a dozen locations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Goa and Madhya Pradesh.
The locations include 12 in Bihar, two in Uttar Pradesh and one each in Punjab's Ludhiana and Goa, sources said. In Bihar, a raid was launched at the premises of one Dr Sarik Raza, a dentist based in the Urdu Bazaar of Darbhanga city and one Mehboob, a resident of Shankarpur village in Singhwara police station area, in connection with the banned organisation PFI.
The NIA also raided a location in Motihari at the Kuanwa village of Chakia subdivision in the East Champaran district, sources said. They said that a raid is being conducted at one of Sajjad Ansari's residences in a case related to PFI. Sajjad is working in Dubai for the last 14 months as per sources. During the searches at his house, the NIA team confiscated Sajjad's Aadhaar card, PAN card and some documents from his residence, sources added.(IANS)
