Kerala: ED raids 12 locations linked to PFI members
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the residences and offices of several leaders of the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) across Kerala on Monday, Hindustan Times reported. The probe agency carried out search operations at 12 locations in the state to identify the financial transactions linked to the alleged terror activities of the group. The raids reportedly continued for several hours.
Why does this story matter?
The PFI was banned for five years in 2022 after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out nationwide search operations to bust its network, alleging it was trying to raise funds for terror activities in India. Last year, the ED took up the investigation after NIA reportedly claimed in a Kerala court that PFI leaders were in contact with global terrorist organizations for funding.
ED raids targeted top PFI leaders
The raids were reportedly conducted in Kerala's Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, and Wayanad districts, targeting top PFI leaders for former members. At 6:00am on Tuesday, ED officials—accompanied by Central Reserve Police Force personnel—raided the house of state PFI leader Latheef Pokkathillam, who has reportedly escaped to Saudi Arabia. It also raided houses of Abdul Samad in Wayanad and Abdul Jameel and Noorul Amin in Malappuram.
PFI suspected of receiving hawala funds from abroad
The ED has been investigating the PFI to find evidence that could prove its leaders' links to hawala money transactions and terror funding. Reportedly, these raids are also related to the same. According to Manorama News, it is suspected that funds worth crores of rupees were transferred from overseas to the bank accounts of the PFI leaders for organizing terror plots.
More about PFI
The PFI was formed in Kerala in 2006. It later launched a political front, the Social Democratic Party of India, in 2009. Reportedly, it is an extremist Islamic organization founded by the members of the banned organization Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). After being banned under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), PFI leaders launched protests across Kerala, leading to violence last year.
