NIA arrests five more accused in Tamil Nadu PFI conspiracy case

New Delhi [India], May 9 (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested five accused linked to the Tamil Nadu Popular Front of India (PFI) criminal conspiracy case.

The five arrested accused have been identified as Abdul Razzak, 47; Advocate Mohamed Yusuf, 35; Advocate. M. Mohamed Abbas, 45; Kyzer A, 45; and Sathik Ali, 39; all residents of different districts in Tamil Nadu.

With the move, a total of 15 people have been arrested by the NIA in the case so far. These arrests followed extensive searches conducted by the agency at six locations in Theni, Dindigul, Madurai and Chennai districts of Tamil Nadu earlier in the day.

The searches were conducted at the properties of the accused, mostly houses and farmhouses, said the NIA. A host of incriminating material, including sharp-edged weapons, digital devices and documents, were also seized during the searches, leading to the arrest of the five accused, said the anti-terror agency.

The case, relating to unlawful and anti-national activities of the banned PFI, was initially registered by the NIA on September 19 last year. The NIA had filed a chargesheet against 10 accused persons on March 17 this year.

“Investigations had revealed that the accused had conspired and planned to eliminate their ‘perceived enemies’ who were not aligned to the PFI ideology and were opposed to its plans to establish an Islamic State in India by 2047. In pursuance of the conspiracy, the accused persons had radicalized a large number of PFI cadres, especially youth, handpicked by the outfit’s leadership, and had also trained them in the use of different kinds of weapons to assault, maim and kill their adversaries,” said the agency.