In order to break the back of anti-India forces, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a joint-action, raided 93 offices of the Popular Front of India (PFI), situated across 15 states of the country, on Wednesday night. For the first time in the country, legal action is being taken against a single organization at such a large scale. Top leaders of the organization, along with 106 members have been arrested.
The highest number of members, 22, have been arrested from the state of Kerala. 20 each were nabbed from Maharashtra and Karnataka, 10 from Tamil Nadu, 9 from Assam, 8 from Uttar Pradesh, 5 from Andhra Pradesh, 4 from Madhya Pradesh, 3 each from Puducherry and Delhi, and 2 from Rajasthan were arrested as well. Arrested top leaders include PFI Chairman O M A Salem, Kerala Chief Md. Basheer, National Secretary VP Nazruddin, National Executive Member Prof. P Koya, among the state chiefs.
Apart from this, SDPI Rajasthan State President, Sadiq Saraf, was arrested from Baran, and the PFI Rajasthan State President, Asif Mirza was caught in Kerala. The team reached the house of Abdul Karim, situated in Aman Colony, Kota, at 3 AM, this is the place where Asif Mirza used to stay as a tenant 10 years back. Search and interrogation took place for 2 hours. Asif’s mother, Raeesa Begum, is the Palika Congress Councilor.
The PFI brings in hawala money, family maintenance and funds into bogus accounts from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, and Bahrain. The network is operated from UAE. In addition to this, the organization operates terror-training camps in the name of martial arts and kung fu classes, and gyms. Terror-training camps were found at a so-called karate centre at Nizamabad, along with camps at Andhra Pradesh.
The organization is actively involved in brainwashing the youth, and had significant roles to play during the anti-CAA protests, protests against Nupur Sharma. PFI’s members were arrested for their involvement in the Delhi riots, Kanhaiyalal’s murder in Udaipur, and Umesh Kolhe’s murder in Amravati.
