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NIA carries out searches in two states over PFI links, 4 detained
About two dozen teams of NIA conducted searches at 38 locations in Telangana, besides two locations in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool and Nellore districts
National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday carried out multiple raids in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in connection with alleged terror link case against the Popular Front of India (PFI) and detained four people for questioning.
About two dozen teams of NIA conducted searches at 38 locations in Telangana — 23 in Nizamabad, four in Hyderabad, seven in Jagitial, two in Nirmal and one each in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts — besides two locations in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool and Nellore districts, officials said.
“During the searches, incriminating materials, including digital devices, documents, two daggers and cash worth ₹8.31 lakh have been seized,” NIA said in a statement. “Four persons have been detained for questioning.”
On July 6, the Telangana police arrested four PFI activists — Abdul Kader, Sheikh Sahadulla, Md Imran and Md Abdul Mobin — after a case registered against them on July 4 for their suspected terror links. The matter was later handed over to NIA, which registered a fresh case on August 26.
“On Sunday, NIA conducted searches on the suspected PFI members in the case, including Abdul Kader and 26 other persons,” the NIA statement said, adding further investigations in the case were in progress.
NIA charged the accused with conspiring to wage a war against the Union government besides recruiting members for the PFI and organising camps for imparting training to commit terrorists’ acts. Further charges of unlawful assembly and promoting enmity between groups on the basis of religion were also added. “They were also involved in activities disrupting sovereignty and territorial integrity of India,” NIA has claimed.
On July 6, the Nizamabad police arrested the four PFI activists on the charges of allegedly training Muslim men in “anti-national” activities.
The accused were booked under sections 120A (criminal conspiracy by two or more persons), 120B (criminal conspiracy for serious offence), 153A (promoting enmity between two different groups) and 141 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), besides Section 13(1)(b) of Unlawful Activities (Preventions) Act, 1967, said Nizamabad commissioner of police KR Nagaraju.
Abdul Qader, a karate instructor, was engaged by the other three accused for training gullible Muslim youths from the two Telugu states in various martial arts and usage of lethal weapons, police have claimed.
“In the last three years, Qader provided training to at least 200 Muslim youth in karate, Kung Fu and usage of lethal weapons at his residence,” Nagaraju had claimed.
Interrogation of the arrested accused revealed that the PFI was trying to brainwash the local Muslim youth in Sharia law and Islamic fundamentalism and recruit them for anti-national activities, police have claimed.
The accused have also confessed that similar activities by PFI members were being carried out in Nizamabad, Jagitial, Hyderabad, Nellore, Kurnool and Kadapa.
