ED raids houses of former PFI workers in Kerala

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids in the houses of former Popular Front of India (PFI) workers in four districts of Kerala on Monday.

As per the reports, raids are being conducted in the Thrissur, Ernakulam, Malappuram and Wayanad districts of Kerala.

In August the NIA had raided the house of several PFI operatives in Malappuram. The raids were conducted at residences of Thayyil Hamza in Vengara, Kalathiparambil Yahuti in Tirur, Haneefa in Tanur and Rangattur Padikkaparambil Jaffer, who were all part of the banned PFI.

The searches came after the NIA in early August had attached the Green Valley Academy in Manjeri, one of the PFI’s largest and oldest arms and physical training centres. As per the NIA this was the sixth arms training centre of the PFI to be attached in the state as ‘proceeds of terrorism’ under provisions of the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act ).

The NIA had said that the Manjeri centre was being used under the guise of an educational institution by the PFI and its frontal organisations.

Earlier, a joint team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and state police forces had arrested over 100 PFI leaders during raids across 10 states.

The searches were conducted at the residential and official premises of persons involved in “funding terrorism, organising training camps and radicalising people to join proscribed organisations”.

“In a major action across 10 states, NIA, ED and state police have arrested more than 100 cadres of PFI,” sources told ANI.

The raids were conducted in Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and many more states, said sources.

NIA earlier this month also raided 40 places in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh in a PFI case and detained four persons.

The agency had then conducted searches at 38 locations in Telangana (23 in Nizamabad, four in Hyderabad, seven in Jagityal, two in Nirmal, one each in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts) and at two locations in Andhra Pradesh (one each in Kurnool and Nellore districts) in the case relating to Abdul Khader of Nizamabad district in Telangana and 26 other persons.

The PFI was launched in Kerala in 2006 after merging three Muslim organizations floated after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 – the National Development Front of Kerala, Karnataka Forum for Dignity and Manitha Neethi Pasari of Tamil Nadu.

After the demolition of the Babri mosque, many fringe outfits had surfaced in South India and PFI was formed after merging some of them.

The PFI claims it has units in 22 states. Its growth is phenomenal, admit intelligence agencies, saying it successfully exploited a growing vacuum in the community by donning the role of a saviour.

The portrayal of this image helped PFI to mobilise funds, especially from the rich Middle-Eastern countries. The PFI had its headquarters in Kozhikode earlier, but after broadening its base, it was shifted to Delhi.

PFI’s state president Nasaruddin Elamarom is one of the founding leaders of the outfit. Its all-India president E Abubaker also hails from Kerala.

The PFI described itself as a neo-social movement committed to empowering people belonging to minority communities, Dalits and other weaker sections of society.