The National Investigation Agency launched simultaneous searches at multiple locations across Tamil Nadu early on Tuesday and arrested five suspects on charges of being part of the Popular Front of India (PFI) criminal conspiracy case.
The central agency said that the accused had conspired to eliminate their ‘perceived enemies’ who were not aligned to the PFI ideology and opposed to its plans to establish an Islamic State in India by 2047.
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After searching the different places in Chennai, Madurai, Dindigul and Theni, the NIA said incriminating materials, including sharp edged weapons, digital devices and documents, were seized during the operation which led to the arrest of the five accused - Abdul Razzak (47) of Chennai), Advocates Mohamed Yusuf (35) and Mohammed Abbas (45) of Madurai, Kyzer A (45) of Dindigul and Sathik Ali (39) of Theni district.
The early morning operation commenced on the basis of information gathered and materials seized as a follow up to the September 2022 national wide raids in which more than 100 suspects, including top leaders and senior functionaries of the banned Popar Front of India (PFI) were arrested across the country.
The searches conducted last year along with the Enforcement Directorate were based on inputs that some suspects were funding terror acts, organising weapon training camps and radicalising people to join banned outfits like the IS.
The case, relating to unlawful and anti-national activities of the banned PFI, was initially registered by the NIA on September 19, 2022. The agency also filed a chargesheet against 10 accused persons on March 17, 2023.
Further investigation had revealed that in pursuance of the conspiracy, the accused persons had radicalized a large number of PFI cadres, especially youth, handpicked by the outfit’s leadership, and had also trained them in the use of different kinds of weapons to assault, maim and kill their adversaries, the NIA said in a statement.
