More than 30 members of Popular Front of India (PFI) were detained by the police during multiple raids by central agencies in the national capital on Tuesday.
"More than 30 people have been detained," Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora told IANS.
As per latest reports, the raids are still underway at several places in the city. Apart from Delhi, raids are being conducted at locations linked to the PFI in eight states of the country.
Sources said that raids, which began on Tuesday early morning, were going on in Aurangabad, Jalana, Parbhani districts of Maharashtra; Simoga, Bidar, Ballari, Hubli, Kalburgi districts of Karnataka; Nagarbera of Assam; Bulandshahr's Kasba Syana, Sarurpur and Lisari Gate area of Meerut in Western Uttar Pradesh.
An NIA source informed that in a few states, the local police were conducting raids on their instructions.
Notably, in a nationwide crackdown against the PFI on September 22, around 106 senior office-bearers of the organisation were arrested.
The arrested members included PFI national Chairman, O.M.A. Salam, Vice Chairman, E. Abdurahman, National secretary Nasseruddin Elamaram, ideologue and national leader, Prof P. Koya, and some other senior functionaries from Kerala. The top leader arrested from Tamil Nadu was A. M. Ismail, the national executive member of PFI from Coimbatore.
A. M. Ismail was arrested from Coimbatore, Yassar Arafat, the Dindigul Zonal Secretary of PFI from Dindigul, and Cuddalore district secretary, Fayas Ahmad from Cuddalore. Eight other leaders were arrested from various parts of the state.
Also Read | SC will live stream Constitution bench proceedings from Tuesday
The sources said that in the raids conducted in 15 states of the country, the investigating agencies have found strong evidence of PFI's involvement in terrorist activities.
Soon after the raid, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also held a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and NIA Chief Dinkar Gupta during which instructions were issued to review the facts gathered against PFI and take further action.
