Outlawed PFI’s Gulf roots revealed, crores transferred to India via Hawala
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) unearthed a major financial trail linking the banned organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) to funds amounting to crores of rupees, allegedly routed from Gulf countries. The ED has arrested five persons associated with the banned outfit in connection with a money laundering case and failing to appear for summons.

A probe into the funds revealed a complex trail of financial transactions
Cash, in a bid to convert black money into white, was subsequently transferred to PFI accounts and suspected to have been used in anti-national activities, as per the probe agency.
The Popular Front of India and its associate outfits were banned by the Centre for five years in September 2022 after a major crackdown by the National Investigation Agency and over 100 arrests following raids on PFI functionaries across different states.
The ED has arrested five individuals, identified as EM Abdul Rahman, Anees Ahmed, Afsar Pasha, AS Ismail, and Mohammad Shakif, accused of associations with the PFI. They have been booked for offence under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Also, the ED stated these accused had evaded summons by the authorities and did not join the ongoing investigation.
The accused persons are alleged to have played roles in utilising millions of rupees received through ‘Hawala’ transactions from Gulf countries. As per the ED, PFI supporters, based in the Gulf, deposited cash to convert black money to white and these funds were deposited into PFI’s account.
A probe into the funds revealed a complex trail of financial transactions, the ED stated. All the accused held signing authority for the organisation’s bank accounts in different cities.
The investigations, initiated in 2018 with the filing of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), led the ED to apprehend all five accused.
During the raids conducted by the probe agency on office bearers of PFI in December 2020, evidence, including bank account details, digital records, and other documents, was seized. The arrests were made based on discrepancies found in their statements and the ED said they “were unable to discharge the burden of proof in respect of various incriminating documents”.