Lucknow: NIA teams conducted searches on premises linked to leaders and cadres of banned Popular Front of India (PFI) across four districts of the state.
The searches were said to be a part of the nationwide crackdown on PFI men associated with Bihar’s Phulwari Sharif terror conspiracy case.
The core allegation of this case centres around the gathering of individuals with suspicious intent in the Phulwari Sharif area of Patna. NIA had lodged a case in July 2022.
Apart from UP, raids were carried out in Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
In UP, several places at Lucknow, Siddharth Nagar, Bhadohi, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur were raided.
“During the searches, a substantial cache of crucial evidence in the ongoing case was found. This evidence includes various digital devices such as laptops, mobile phones, SIM cards, memory cards, pen-drives, and hard discs. Furthermore, incriminating documents have been recovered during the operations,” said NIA sources.
Additionally, a sum of Rs 8.5 lakh has been seized in connection with the instant case. Sources said that the probe was still ongoing in the case.
In Lucknow, NIA swooped down in Madeyganj, and raided premises of three individuals. It included a retired junior high school teacher Shameem Ahmad (68), a retired veterinary doctor Dr Ghulam Khwaja (65) and Dr Anees, a Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS) doctor.
The teams stayed for four hours and returned with some alleged objectionable documents which will be scanned in the NIA headquarters. Later, in Mahadevpur village of Bhadohi, the NIA unit raided the residence of a travel agency operator Shoaib Alam Nadvi. From the same place Anwar Rashid was arrested by the NIA in May 2023.
Sources added that Anwar Rashid, in association with a publication house, was involved in the supply of material for promoting the ideology of the PFI, specifically the establishment of Islamic rule in India.
The teams subsequently raided Mulganj, Harinaam ka Purva area in Kanpur Nagar and checked documents of one Dr Abrar Ahmad and left after collecting documents.
These searches were carried out on premises in various regions, including Fazalpur, Shaheen Bagh, Okhla, and Chandni Chowk in Delhi; Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh; Thane and Mumbai in Maharashtra; Tonk and Gangapur City in Rajasthan and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
To date, NIA has submitted three chargesheets against a total of 13 suspects in this case. During investigations, a total of 17 accused persons have been taken into custody. They are alleged to have been actively involved in furthering the unlawful activities of PFI, including the illicit funneling of funds from overseas to the PFI members and suspects in this case.
