KOCHI: Shocking details have emerged regarding Popular Front of India (PFI) activist Moideenkutty, a wanted accused in the arms training case. According to information from National Investigation Agency (NIA) sources, he conducted arms training and functioned as a master trainer for the organisation. The NIA claims that under the guise of sports and yoga training, youths were systematically trained in the use of deadly weapons under Moideenkutty’s leadership.
Moideenkutty, a native of Valanchery in Malappuram district, was arrested by the NIA at Cochin International Airport on Wednesday soon after his arrival from the UAE. Investigators have received information that he had been serving as the coordinator of the sports and weapons training wing of the PFI for several years. The agency has further found that hundreds of youths across Kerala are suspected to have received training under this network. The NIA alleges that Moideenkutty provided weapons training to an armed group formed by the PFI for anti-national activities. According to officials, structured sessions were conducted under the cover of sports and yoga camps, during which participants were trained to handle lethal weapons. The agency has also stated that Moideenkutty had previously been implicated in a hand-chopping case. Officials indicated that his custodial interrogation is crucial to gathering further details about the wider network and operations.
NIA tightens net around absconding operatives
Following a nationwide crackdown on the Popular Front of India in September 2022, the organisation was banned by the central government. The NIA claims that around the time of the ban, Moideenkutty was involved in coordinating activities in Valanchery. After going into hiding in September 2022, he is believed to have fled abroad. Subsequently, the NIA declared him a wanted accused in the case.
According to the agency, Moideenkutty had been absconding in the UAE for nearly three years. A reward of Rs 7 lakh had been announced for information leading to his arrest. The NIA has also expanded its probe to examine his alleged activities and contacts in the UAE during this period.
He was taken into custody immediately upon his arrival in Kochi. The accused was produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody. The NIA is expected to seek his custody next week for detailed interrogation as part of the ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, several other accused remain at large. Those yet to be arrested include Muhammed Mansoor of Pattambi in Palakkad district, Abdul Wahab of Paravur, Abdul Rasheed of Pattambi, Muhammed Yaser Arafat of Alangad, and T.A. Ayub of Edavanakkad. Search notices have been issued against them, and efforts are continuing to trace their whereabouts.
