NIA raids against PFI at 40 places in TS, AP

Hyderabad: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday conducted raids in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in connection with a terror-related case involving the Popular Front of India (PFI) and took four persons into custody.

The NIA on Sunday searched 38 places in Telangana in connection with a case against the PFI for allegedly running training camps to commit terror acts and promote enmity between groups based on religion, an official said.

The official said incriminating materials, including digital devices, documents, two daggers and over Rs 8.31 lakh, were seized during the operation.

The case was initially registered on July 4 at the Nizamabad police station in Telangana and during investigations by the state police, four accused – Abdul Kader, Sheikh Sahadulla, Mohd Imran and Mohd Abdul Mobin – were arrested.

Later, the case was re-registered by the NIA on August 26 to carry forward the probe, the spokesperson said. Among the 38 locations raided in Telangana, the highest number of 23 places were subjected to searches at Nizamabad, followed by seven in Jagtial, four in Hyderabad, two in Nirmal and one each in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts.

One place each was searched in Kurnool and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh in the case relating to Khader and 26 other people, the official said, adding that the accused were organising camps to impart training to commit terror acts and promote enmity between different groups on the basis of religion. Further investigations in the case are in progress, the spokesperson said.

A source said that in Nizamabad, karate classes were being organised by a group of people, but the main purpose was to impart terror training.

There were tense moments when the locals in Nizamabad district raised slogans 'NIA go back ', 'NIA down down,' against the officials of the NIA demanding them to disclose what they have found in their searches.