On April 8, 2023, the Assam Police arrested three leaders of banned terror- outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and Campus Front of India (CFI) and in Barpeta, Assam.
The police also found a pamphlet affiliated with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), a sum of Rs 1.5 lakhs along with four mobile phones in possession.
The accused belonging to the PFI and CFI are Zahidul Islam, Zakir Hussain and Abu Sama. According to reports, the radicals arrested from Barpeta on April 8, 2023, will be presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court.
Meanwhile, another accused and a member of the CFI were arrested from Barpeta Road Railway Station on April 6, 2023.
The PFI Assam Committee is led by Samad Ahmed whereas the CFI Committee is headed by Zahidul Islam who is a resident of the Sonabri Village of Govardhana in Baka District. Zakir Hussain is the Secretary of the States Committee.
The arrest was confirmed by Hiren Nath ADGP (SB) of Assam Police who said that “Police arrested three persons of PFI and CFI including PFI’s Assam unit secretary and CFI’s national treasurer from Barpeta district.”
The Superintendent of Police, Amitabh Sinh said that, leaders of these organisations are hiding in different parts of the country after fleeing from Assam. The police will seek custody of the three top leaders for the investigation, he added.
It is to be noted that in September 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification banning PFI and affiliated organisations.
The Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliate organisations have been declared an “unlawful association” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Government said. The notification issued by the Home Ministry on September 28 cited the outfit’s links with the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Islamic State or ISIS, and said the PFI is involved in several criminal and terror cases.
The PFI Ban came after two rounds of searches by the NIA (National Investigative Agency) in a multi-agency investigation against the outfit for sponsoring and financing terror organisations in the nation.
The NIA officials have found several incriminating materials found from the PFI hubs located in 17 states of India back then. The most prominent among them was a brochure and CD related to Mission 2047.
A huge amount of undocumented cash was recovered from the PFI leaders of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and also documented in a short course on how to make an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) using easily available materials.
Meanwhile, Pen drives containing videos related to ISIS, and Gajwa-e-Hind were found from Uttar Pradesh PFI leadership along with Marine Radio Sets from Tamil Nadu (PFI) leadership.
Many other materials including wireless communication were taken into custody by the officials.
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