Mohammed Yassaer Arafat (34), a member of the banned terror outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), surrendered before the NIA Court in Ernakulam (Kochi) on February 23. He is an accused in a case registered against the organisation following its prohibition under UAPA.
The NIA had declared a reward of ₹7 lakhs for actionable information leading to the arrest of seven people, including P. Moideenkutty, who was arrested the other day at Kochi International Airport when he arrived from the United Arab Emirates.
When Moideenkutty was arrested, the enquiry was extended to countries abroad. According to the NIA, Moideenkutty was the head of the arms training team of the outlawed PFI.
The case was registered in September 2022 immediately after the Government of Bharat banned PFI. Four more are still underground. They are Abdul Wahab (38), Mohammed Manzour (43), Abdul Rasheed (35) and Ayuoob (52).
The NIA Court rejected on 23 February the bail application of Karamana Ashraf Moulavi, the second accused in the case. He was arrested immediately after the PFI was outlawed by the Union Home Ministry on 28 September 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Several crucial documents had been seized from his house during his arrest.
The latest news suggests that several PFI terrorists are still hiding somewhere, either in Bharat or abroad.
Formed in November 2006 through the merger of NDF (Kerala), KFD (Karnataka) and Neethi Pasarai (Tamil Nadu), the Popular Front of India (PFI) operated under a socio-cultural façade while pursuing radical mobilisation.
Kerala Government affidavits in 2012 and 2014 linked it to SIMI and alleged involvement in conversions and Islamisation efforts. The outfit came under scrutiny in the 2016 attack on Professor T.S. Joseph and in riot-related arrests in Delhi (2020).
Nationwide NIA raids on 22 September 2022 across 17 states led to over 240 arrests and recovery of terror manuals, propaganda material and hawala funding trails. Investigations suggested attempts to radicalise nearly two lakh individuals and build international linkages.
