NIA Conducts Raids Against Banned PFI in 6 States

According to sources, the NIA conducted searches against the outlawed Popular Front of India on Wednesday at 20 sites in six states in relation to a case involving causing a commotion during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bihar last year.

An official spokesman said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted thorough searches at 20 different areas, including Chandni Chowk, Fazalpur, Shaheen Bagh, and Okhla in the capital.

According to him, raids were carried out in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh; Thane, Maharashtra; Gangapur, Rajasthan; Tonk, Uttar Pradesh; Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh; Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh; and Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.

The spokesman claimed that searches were also done in Madurai.

According to him, these operations are a part of continuing investigations into incidents involving the PFI and its participation in illegal and un-American acts.

According to the official, extensive digital evidence from the ongoing investigation, including computers, mobile phones, SIM cards, memory cards, pen drives, and hard drives, was discovered during the searches.

During the operations, incriminating papers have also been found, the official said.

Rs 8.5 lakh in cash has been seized by the NIA. The Patna Police had filed a FIR on July 12 of last year, and the agency had taken over the investigation at that point. The central anti-terror agency reregistered the case and began its investigation ten days later.

On July 11 of last year, the Patna Police carried out a search at the home of one Athar Parvez in the Phulwarisharif neighborhood, during which PFI literature and a paper named “India 2047 Towards Rule of Islam in India, Internal Document: Not for circulation” were seized.

Several people were detained in connection with the case, including Athar Parvej, Md. Jalaluddin Khan, Nooruddin Zangi alias Advocate Nooruddin, and Arman Malick alias Imteyaz Anwer.

In this investigation, the NIA has detained 17 persons and issued three charge sheets against 13 suspects.

According to the agency, “they are alleged to have been actively involved in furthering the illegal activities of PFI, including the illicit funneling of funds from abroad to the PFI members and suspects in this case.”

In this instance, it is said that a group of people gathered in Patna’s Phulwarisharif neighborhood with the intention of disrupting the prime minister’s rally.

Prior to the current investigation, the NIA carried out several searches across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala to gather evidence against the suspects and accused parties.

Anwar Rashid, a former member of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), was detained by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as part of the ongoing investigations.

Anwar Rashid’s detention is related to his participation in a criminal conspiracy with Athar Parvej, Manjar Parvej, and other defendants identified in the FIR, all of whom were trying to further the PFI’s objectives. According to the organization, its goal is to pursue and establish Islamic Rule in India by the year 2047.

Anwar Rashid and other SIMI members were connected to the Wahadat-e-Islami, a group founded by ex-members of SIMI, which continued to advance the idea of Islamic authority in India after SIMI was banned.

The spokesman said, “Investigations showed that accused Anwar Rashid was engaged in the provision of material for propagating the PFI ideology, especially the creation of Islamic Rule in India, via his involvement with a publishing business.