New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was conducting raids in over eight states and at multiple locations linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) members on Tuesday and detained over 270 activists of the alleged radical organisation.

It is not related to the action against PFI. The order is 10 days old

Sources said that more than over 270 people have been detained and the arrests will depend on their questioning.

Raids 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; and at several places in Delhi.

The raids started early Tuesday morning and were going on.

NIA sources said that in a few states the local police were conducting raids at their instruction.

Hiren Nath, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Special Branch), Assam said that they have detained five PFI members from the Nagarbera area. The DGP said that the raids were going on in many districts of Assam.

As many as 11 persons were held by the NIA in it’s recent raid.

In Western Uttar Pradesh, four persons have been taken into custody.

“We are grilling them. As of now no arrest memos have been filed against any of them. They are PFI members. We got fresh inputs after the questioning of earlier arrested PFI members and are conducting raids,” the source said.

In Maharashtra the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and the local police were conducting the raids in Aurangabad, Jalana and Parbhani districts.

“Raids are on in Simoga, Bidar, Ballari, Hubli, and Kalburgi area of Karnataka. Five have been detained from Simoga, four from Ballari, two from Hubli, and six have been detained from Kolar district. Bidar district president and Kalburgi media coordinator of PFI have been detained,” the source said.

In Delhi, raids were on in Nizamuddin, Rohini, Jamia and in Shahin Bagh.

Raids were being conducted after the NIA got fresh information during the questioning of the arrested PFI members.

Earlier in the week, more than 106 members of PFI were arrested by the NIA and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Lookout Circulars were also issued against two of the PFI members on Monday.

As of now, the NIA is investigating a total of 19 PFI related cases.

The NIA has said that around 46 accused, who were arrested and later convicted in 2010-2011. Around 355 PFI members have already been chargesheeted by the agency.

According to reports, the Madhya Pradesh ATS on Tuesday detained 21 members from eight districts of the state over links with Popular Front of India (PFI).

An official said that raids were carried out in the wee hours in eight districts, including three big cities – Bhopal, Indore and Ujjain.

“Among those detained are workers associated with PFI. Further operation is underway,” a senior police official said.

In Bhopal, the ATS conducted raids at SDPI’s (Social Democratic Party of India) office located at Shahjahanabad area late on Monday and detained one suspect for interrogation.

Persons associated with SDPI are suspected to have been funding PFI, and the ATS claimed to have recovered some documents related with the same.

In the second round, the ATS’ operation began on the basis of inputs of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Similarly, as many as 27 members of Popular Front of India (PFI) have so far been arrested in Maharashtra during the NIA raids on Tuesday, sources said.

Those who were arrested include district presidents, secretaries, treasures among several other members.

The NIA crackdown against suspected members of the PFI began early on Tuesday in eight states of the country.

In a fresh operation, Assam Police on Tuesday arrested 25 additional Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders and activists from eight districts.

According to officials, 10 PFI members were arrested in Goalpara, five from Kamrup, three from Dhubri, two each from Barpeta and Baksa districts, and one each from Karimganj, Udalguri, and Darang districts.

On Monday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the police crackdown against PFI members will continue in the state, adding that cases have been lodged against the organisation’s supporters who had launched agitation and road blockade in the wake of pan-India raids.

The crackdown against the Popular Front of India (PFI) continued in Karnataka with police detaining 45 members of the political outfit on Tuesday.

According to sources, the raids began at 4 am at various locations in Belagavi, Gadag, Bijapur in north Karnataka, neighbouring district of Bengaluru Kolar and Bengaluru Rural, coastal district of Udupi.

The PFI leaders have reportedly collected funds from foreign countries to foment violence in society and attack RSS leaders and offices in retaliation to recent NIA raids, the sources said.

In the coastal district of Udupi, the police teams have conducted simultaneous raids on four locations and taken more than four leaders into custody.

ADGP Alok Kumar confirmed that 45 PFI workers have been taken into custody. The state-wide raids have been taken up as a preventive measure to stop them from indulging in violence, he said.

Whereas, 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 said.

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.

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, OMA 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 AM Ismail, the national executive member of PFI from Coimbatore.

AM 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.

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.

Following the mega crackdown, the Delhi Police on Tuesday said that the imposition of section 144 in the city’s Jamia Nagar was not related to the coordinated action being taken against the Popular Front of India (PFI).

“It is not related to the action against PFI. The order is 10 days old,” Delhi Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa clarified.

Notably, an order signed by the Chief Proctor of Jamia Millia Islamia University informing the students about the imposition of section 144 was doing rounds on social media since Monday.

On early Tuesday, when the central agencies along with the Delhi Police began conducting raids at multiple locations in the national capital, the notice went viral on social media, with several media houses connecting it with ongoing crackdown against PFI.

In the notice, the chief proctor said that he was informed by SHO, Jamia Nagar police station, that section 144 of the CrPc has been imposed for 60 days in the entire Okhla-Jamia Nagar area and subsequently, the teaching and non-teaching staff along with students were advised not to assemble in groups, march, dharna, agitations and meetings in and outside the campus.