The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Mohammad Sadik, who worked as a ‘reporter’ for the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Kerala. Sadik used to collect details about leaders of other communities for the PFI hit squad.
An NIA spokesperson said that the agency conducted searches at a location in the Kollam district near where Sadik was arrested.
The official said that the NIA probe revealed that the PFI had assigned the job of a ‘reporter’ to Sadik. “A reporter in the PFI system collects details about leaders of other communities for possible targetting by hit squads of the PFI,” the official said.
During the searches, digital devices and several incriminating documents have been seized from the house of the accused, the official said.
This is the 15th arrest by the NIA in the case. On December 30 last year, the NIA arrested Mohammed Mubarak AI, a practising HC advocate and the martial arts expert and alleged hit squad trainer for PFI, in connection with the Kerala PFI module case after carrying out searches at 56 locations in the state.
The NIA had further said that its probe has confirmed that the PFI was raising, training and maintaining hit squads in different states and districts to target leaders and members of other communities.
The case pertains to the activities of PFI, its office bearers, members and affiliates in Kerala, for conspiring to indulge in unlawful activities, by creating enmity between members of different religions and groups prejudicial to the maintenance of peace and communal harmony, and encouraging vulnerable youth to join terrorist organisations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daesh and Al-Qaida and conspiring to establish Islamic rule in India by committing a terrorist act as part of violent jihad.
On September 19, last year, the anti-terror investigation agency filed a suo-motu case and arrested several PFI officials.
Earlier on September 23, the NIA had carried out searches at 24 locations in Kerala, including offices of PFI and the residences of 13 accused.