A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) secured district president of the Popular Front of India (PFI) Shaikh Ayejaz Ali and PFI State committee member Shahid Naseer from their residence at Tipu Sultan Chowk in Kalaburagi on Thursday and detained them.
The 15-member team of NIA reached Ali’s residence at around 3.30 a.m. and, along with the local police, carried out a raid till 8.30 a.m.
The team not only questioned Ali and his family members for five hours but also carried out a search operation at his house. The team confiscated some documents related to PFI and recovered ₹14 lakh in cash from Ali’s house.
Meanwhile, PFI members made an attempt to stage a protest outside Ali’s residence demanding his release, while the police, who had made elaborate arrangements, successfully dispersed the protestors.
The NIA also conducted raids on the residence of Naseer but they could not find him. However, sources confirmed that a team of NIA personnel detained Naseer while he was on his way back from Kerala.
The police tightened security outside Ali’s residence as a precautionary measure as police inputs suggested a possible protest by the PFI in the afternoon.
In another development, the Koppal District Police arrested PFI district president Abdul Fayaz in connection with the K.G. Halli riots.
In Gangavati
A police team conducted raids on his residence in Gangavati town in the early hours of Thursday and arrested Fayaz.
As per sources, he has been arrested in connection with the case registered in K.G. Halli Police Station riots in Bengaluru.
He has now been shifted to Bengaluru.
Koppal Superintendent of Police Arunangshu Giri refused to provide any further detail about the detention.
