Hyderabad/Vijayawada Sep 19 :- The NIA detained four suspected members of Popular Front of India (PFI) on Sunday and carried out simultaneous overnight searches at 40 locations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in a sweeping crackdown to track and freeze terrorism-related funds linked to the controversial outfit.
NIA took over the case two-and-a-half months after Nizamabad police busted an alleged PFI terrorist-training module. It registered a fresh FIR on August 26.
Searches straddling two days were launched at 38 locations in Telangana — 23 in Nizamabad, four in Hyderabad, seven in Jagtial, two in Nirmal and one each in Adilabad and Karimnagar — and at Kurnool and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. NIA teams, assisted by armed security personnel and local police, blocked approach roads to houses of suspects during the operation.
Buchireddypalem in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore remained tense after NIA teams landed at the residence of a suspect, Ilyaz. Sources said Ilyaz allegedly had links with Abdul Khader, who was arrested in July. During searches, sleuths claimed to have seized incriminating materials, digital devices, and documents from houses of Ilyaz and other suspects. Sheik Muqeet, a PFI suspect from Nizamabad, said: “NIA teams arrived at 3am and continued searches till 10am.”
NIA officers said the accused were “organising training camps for fresh recruits and unleash terror and promote enmity between different groups on basis of religion”.
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