NIA carries out raids in five states in PFI conspiracy case; incriminating materials seized

The National Investigation Agency on Sunday conducted a series of raids in five states as part of its continued efforts to foil the Popular Front of India's conspiracy to disturb peace by driving a communal wedge among the people and destabilise the country, an official said.

Fourteen locations were searched in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Bihar, leading to the seizure of several digital devices as well as incriminating documents, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

The official said the raids were conducted in Kannur and Malappuram districts of Kerala, Dakshin Kannada in Karnataka, Nashik and Kolhapur in Maharashtra, Murshidabad in West Bengal and Katihar in Bihar.

'The NIA has been working to unravel and thwart the attempts by PFI and its top leadership to create an armed cadre and raise a PFI Army for establishing an Islamic caliphate in India by 2047 through acts of terror, violence and sabotage.

'PFI has been conspiring to radicalise gullible youth and provide them weapons training in a bid to further its violent anti-India agenda by fighting against certain sections of the society,' the spokesperson said.

The official said the agency suspects that several mid-rung PFI agents are operating as master trainers, conducting arms training camps in various states for its highly radicalised cadres.

'Based on intelligence and investigative analysis and insights, it (NIA) has been raiding multiple locations in various states over the past several months to identify and arrest these cadres and operatives,' the spokesperson said.

NIA registered a case against PFI in April last year and arrested several of its top leaders, including over a dozen National Executive Council members, following country-wide operations in September 2022.

The probe agency has filed a charge sheet against PFI as an organization and 19 of its members in March followed by a supplementary charge sheet against the PFI national coordinator of weapons training in April.

'Investigations are continuing to unearth and expose the complete PFI conspiracy to indoctrinate and train susceptible youth to create mayhem in the country,' the spokesperson said.