The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested two suspects from Motihari, Bihar, in the Phulwarisharif Patna Popular Front of India (PFI) case, a day after conducting multiple searches in that State. The PFI is a banned terror outfit.
“With these arrests, a PFI module planning targeted killing and disruption of communal harmony has been unearthed and busted,” the agency said in a statement.
The PFI was suspected to be radicalising and recruiting Indian youths for ISIS in order to carry forward the inimical agenda of the global terror group. ISIS on its part has opposed the ban against PFI through its propaganda magazine ‘Voice of Khurasan’.
After conducting raids at eight locations “to disrupt a conspiracy hatched by PFI cadres to carry out targeted killing”, in East Champaran district in Bihar on Saturday, the NIA arrested the two suspects on Sunday.
The two suspects had allegedly arranged weapons and ammunition to carry out the killing. They had also reconnoitered to execute a target, the agency said without elaborating on the specifics.
“The arms and ammunition had been handed over to a PFI trainer, Yakoob, who had been conducting training sessions for PFI cadres. Some days ago, Yakoob, the PFI trainer, had posted a derogatory and inflammatory Facebook video post, which was aimed at disturbing peace and communal harmony. Other users of FB had commented and trolled this post abusively,” the agency alleged.The absconding accused Yakoob and two arrested accused had identified some of those who had trolled his post and had conspired to execute the killing of targeted persons, it said.
The raids and arrests were made in the NIA case relating to involvement of PFI, its leaders and cadres in violent and unlawful activities, who had assembled for that purpose in the Phulwarisharif area of Patna.
The case was initially registered as FIR No. 827/2022 dated July 12, 2022 at Phulwarisharif police station in Patna district of Bihar and re-registered by the NIA on July 22 last year.
Those arrested include Tanveer Raza alias Barkati and Md Abid alias Aryan, both residents of Bahadurpur, Mehsi, East Champaran district of Bihar.
Earlier, four persons were arrested and several incriminating articles/documents related to PFI were seized after searches at the premises of the accused in this case.
During the searches conducted on Saturday, multiple digital devices were seized and further investigations in the case are in progress, the agency added.