NIA conducts searches at Popular Front of India premises in Delhi, UP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting raids at around 12 premises of the banned organization Popular Front of India (PFI) in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. The searches began at 5.00 am on Wednesday morning.

In Uttar Pradesh, NIA raids are underway in Lucknow, Barabanki, Bahraich, Sitapur and Hardoi, India Today reported. Three houses in the same locality in Lucknow were raided by NIA teams and paramilitary forces.

Whereas in Maharashtra, the raids were conducted in Mumbai and other cities, ANI reported. A team of NIA officials has reached Abdul Wahid Sheikh's residence in Mumbai's Vikhroli area. Sheikh is the acquitted accused of the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts.

However, he refused to let the teams in and asked for a legal notice to be sent first.

Speaking to India Today, Sheikh said, "These people broke my house's door and my camera. I asked them for identification proof but was not provided with any. I am ready to cooperate if they produce a legal notice for these searches."

The NIA is also conducting raids in multiple areas at Madurai in the PFI case. In Delhi, the NIA along with the local police started conducting raids in Ballimaran area, near the Red Fort, which falls under the Hauz Qazi police station area.

In Rajasthan, NIA conducted searches at Tonk, Kota, and Gangapur in Rajasthan. The teams reportedly started their raids late at night and arrested many suspects.

Constituted in 2006, the PFI is a merger of the National Development Front (NDF) of Kerala and Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD). In September 2022, the Union Home Ministry banned PFI and eight of its associates for five years over threats to security and terror links.

Today's raids come months after NIA filed a chargesheet against 19 people, including 12 National Executive Council (NEC) members of the banned outfit.

In September, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids in the houses of former PFI workers in four districts of Kerala- Thrissur, Ernakulam, Malappuram and Wayanad.

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.