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New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted raids at 25 places across the country as part of its probe against a suspected module of banned Islamic outfit PFI in Phulwari Sharif, Bihar. In Bihar, Kerala and Karnataka, raids are being carried out at the places of PFI’s grassroots workers.
NIA raids are going on at 16 places in Karnataka in the case related to PFI, which includes some districts of Dakshina Kannada. At the same time, the NIA team has reached the relative of PFI leader Muhammad Nadvi in Yusuf Tola of Hasanganj police station area in Katihar, Bihar.
Even before this, the NIA team has conducted raids in the recent past. Recently, six people were arrested in connection with this case and during the search many objectionable articles and documents related to PFI were seized from them. The case here was registered on July 12 last year at Phulwari sharif police station in Patna district in Bihar and was registered again by the NIA on July 22 last year.
According to the NIA investigation so far, the Phulwari Sharif case is related to the involvement of PFI accused and suspected persons involved in illegal and anti-national activities, who gathered in Phulwari Sharif area of Patna. On February 4-5 this year, the NIA had also conducted searches at eight locations in Bihar’s Motihari and arrested two persons who had arranged arms and ammunition to carry out the murder.
The arrested people were identified as Tanveer Raza alias Barkati and Mohammad Abid alias Aryan. The NIA had then said that a recce had already been conducted to engage a target and the arms and ammunition were handed over to PFI trainer Yakub, who was conducting training sessions for PFI cadres.The agency had said in a statement that a few days back PFI trainer Yakub had posted an inflammatory video on Facebook, which was aimed at disturbing peace and communal harmony. The NIA had said, ‘Other Facebook users had commented on this post and trolled it in a derogatory manner.
The absconding accused Yakub and the two arrested accused had identified some of them and conspired to execute their murder. Along with the arrests, the NIA had said that a PFI module has been busted, which was conspiring to disrupt communal harmony. Significantly, the Union Home Ministry, through a notification in September 2022, had banned the PFI and its affiliates for five years due to their association with terrorist groups and subversive activities. The Center had said in the notification that the ban was recommended by the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat.
Explaining the reasons for the ban, the Home Ministry’s notification stated that the PFI and its affiliates have been involved in unlawful activities prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country. NIA had arrested about 350 people associated with PFI from different parts of the country last year. Central investigative agencies got enough evidence against the organization, on the basis of which it was decided to ban the organization.
