PFI case: NIA raids multiple places in Telangana

|HT|

India's top counter-terrorist taskforce National Investigation Agency on Sunday carried out searches in multiple locations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in a major crackdown on Popular Front of India.

The NIA sleuths raided 40 locations, including 38 locations across six districts in Telangana and two locations in two districts of Andhra Pradesh in connection with a case linked to the PFI, an extremist Islamic organisation, according to people familiar with the matter.

The agency was carrying out searches at the residence of Shahid Chaush alias Shahid, the main accused in the case. Shahid has been served a notice under 41(A) Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc). HT has learnt that the investigation is based on establishing and finding the sources of terrorism.

The case was registered in July this year against PFI members by Nizamabad Police Station in Telangana under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and section 13(1)(b) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Abdul Kader and 26 persons and others were named in the FIR relating to some anti-national activities in a house located near Osmania Masjid in Nizamabad. Kader, Sheikh Sahadulla, Md Imran and Md.Abdul Mobin were arrested by the state police and, later, the case was re-registered by NIA on August 28.

NIA said in a release that the accused were organising camps for imparting training to commit terrorist acts and to promote enmity between different groups on the basis of religion. The NIA team conducting the raids seized incriminating materials, including digital devices, documents, two daggers, cash ₹8,31,500 . Four persons have been detained for questioning.

"In pursuance of the criminal conspiracy, they recruited the members of Popular Front of India (PFI), organised camps for imparting training for committing terrorist acts. They formed an unlawful assembly and promoted enmity between different groups on the basis of religion and were involved in activities disrupting sovereignty and territorial integrity of India," the FIR reads.

"On searching the house, one Flexi with the name of Popular Front of India (PFI), bamboo sticks, whiteboard, non-chaks, one podium, note-books, handbooks and other materials were seized by Telangana Police. This amounts to a conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India."

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