PFI case: NIA searches premises in 10 districts of Bihar

In July this year, Patna police had arrested four PFI activists from Phulwarisharif in the state capital

Teams of National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted searches in various locations across Bihar as part of its ongoing probe into the “anti-national” activities of Popular Front of India (PFI), officials familiar with the matter said.

Two out of the four PFI activists in custody. (HT Photo)

In July this year, Patna police had arrested four PFI activists from Phulwarisharif in the state capital.

Days later, the NIA had re-registered the case and started its own probe. A week later, on July 28, it has searched premises linked to suspects in 10 locations in Patna, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Nalanda and Madhubani districts, according to a press release issued by the probe agency, which also claimed they had recovered digital devices and incriminating documents during the searches.

An NIA official said that searches on Thursday were being carried out at more than 32 locations in 10 districts — Patna, Saran, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Nalanda, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Katihar, Jehanabad and Araria — linked to suspects associated with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

In Saran, an NIA searched the house of a government school teacher, Mohammad Parvez Alam, a resident of Rudalpur village, and seized his cellphone and some documents from his house. Parvez, said to be active member of PFI in the district, is an accused in the case lodged with Phulwarisharif police station.

In Vaishali, NIA raided the house of SDPI’s district president Mohammad Reyaz Ahmad, a resident of Chehra-Kalan, and interrogated his family members.

In Muzaffarpur district, an NIA team raided the residence of Mohammad Majrool Islam and seized a passbook from his sister-in-law Jarina Khatoon. Majrool’s mother Jamila Khatoon confirmed that NIA sleuths searched their house.

In Nalanda, agency sleuths searched the house of SDPI’s state president Mohammad Shamim Akhtar and detained his younger brother Mohammad Danish for interrogation. Shamim was not at his house at the time of the search. Later, he appeared before the media and confirmed that NIA sleuths had searched his house for more than two hours after obtaining a search warrant from the court. His brother Danish was released from the police station later.

An NIA team also searched the house of SDPI’s general secretary Mohammad Ehsan Parvez at Jokihaat in Araria. Ehasn is also said to be district convener of PFI.

In Katihar, NIA team raided the house of PFI’s state president Mehboob Alam and PFI activist Abdul Rehman.

In Darbhanga, NIA sleuths searched Danish Lodge, close to the house of Nurrudin Jangi, who was arrested from Lucknow in UP in July. The team seized mobile phones of students at the lodge.