Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached 35 immovable properties, valued at Rs 56.56 crore, allegedly linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The attached assets are held in the names of various trusts, companies, and individuals but are reportedly beneficially owned by PFI.
Among these properties, 19 assets worth Rs 35.43 crore were attached on October 16, while 16 assets worth Rs 21.13 crore were seized earlier on April 16, 2024. ED's action follows investigations based on FIRs registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other law enforcement agencies, which uncovered a conspiracy by PFI members to raise funds for terrorism.The financial probe agency stated this on Friday.
ED’s investigation is based on FIRs filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other law enforcement agencies, which have uncovered a conspiracy by PFI members to raise funds for terrorism.
ED Probe Reveals PFI Collecting Funds From India & Abroad
The ED investigation revealed that PFI was involved in collecting funds both in India and abroad through banking channels, hawala networks, and unlawful donations. for committing and financing terrorist acts across India.The total proceeds of crime attributed to these activities amount to Rs 94 crore, with funds traced across 29 bank accounts in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal,Assam, Jammu & Kashmir and Manipur.
According to ED official statement Since February 2021, 26 PFI members have been arrested, and nine prosecution complaints have been filed.The list of arrested members includes key figures such as KA Rauf Sherif, the National General Secretary of Campus Front of India (CFI), and Abdul Razak BP, Divisional President of Perumpadappu Division in Kerala. perwez Ahmed president of delhi state PFI,Sahul Hameed A PFI member dealing in hawala for PFI and several others.
Investigations also revealed PFI’s extensive international presence, with over 13,000 active members in Singapore and across Gulf countries, including Qatar, Kuwait, and UAE. PFI's district-level executive committees abroad were tasked with raising several crores in funds, which were raised abroad were transferred to India through circuitous banking channels, as well as through underground hawala channels so that their origins could not be traced and thereafter handed over to PFI and its office bearers to finance terrorist activities in India.ED said
The ED also discovered that PFI cadres were receiving arms training under the guise of physical education classes. teaching offensive and defensive tactics, including the use of knives and sticks. These sessions were held on properties registered under false owners. A notable case was the 2013 Narath Arms Camp in Kerala, where PFI members were trained in explosives and weapons, aimed at inciting religious enmity and preparing for terrorist activities. Evidence found during a search of PFI’s office in Kozhikode further confirmed their violent agenda.
PFI Used Funds For Unlawful Activites: ED
ED has uncovered that the PFI used funds for unlawful activities aimed at inciting violence and threatening national security. PFI was involved in instigating the 2020 Delhi riots, disturbing communal harmony in Hathras, and planning to form a terrorist gang by collecting weapons to attack sensitive locations. The group also organized a training camp to disrupt the Prime Minister's visit to Patna in July 2022 and was found with incriminating literature that posed a threat to national unity. The ED's investigation is ongoing.
The attached properties include land and buildings held in the names of trusts like Sathya Sarani Educational & Charitable Trust in Manjeri, Obelisk Properties and Developers in Kozhikode,Karuna Education &Social Charitable Trust,Rahmath EducationCharitable Trust in kerala and others. These properties were allegedly used for various PFI-related activities, including religious conversions and meetings.
Earlier, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 5.16 crore connected to PFI, including 23 bank accounts, further linking the organization to money laundering and illegal activities. The total attachments now amount to Rs 61.72 crore.
