Three suspected members banned terror group Popular Front of India (PFI), which has promised to turn India into an Islamic country by 2047, have been arrested from Vadodara by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). As per a Divya Bhaskar report, the three accused had been radicalised.
A secret operation was carried out by the NIA along with Gujarat Police in a crowded part of the city from where three suspects were nabbed. About five months back, the Central Government had banned the Islamist group PFI over its ties with terror groups and indulging in radicalisation activities. The NIA is carrying out raids at various locations across India and interrogating suspects who are involved in terror activities. But till now, there were nothing that tied PFI to Gujarat.
Amid this, earlier this week, NIA got a tip that some men were allegedly radicalising youth in Vadodara. Hence, with help of some officials of Gujarat Police team, the NIA identified three men who were interrogated about alleged radicalisation activities. Their homes were also searched. However, Gujarat Police has not yet formally arrested them yet.
This is the first time such raid and search was carried out in Gujarat over PFI.
Citing sources, Bhaskar reported, the investigating agencies are carrying out interrogation of the suspects. They are collecting their call records and other details of people associated with them. Prior to this, in September 2022, 15 PFI sympathisers were detained in Gujarat by ATS officials. It was part of multi-state multi-agency operation where 106 PFI leaders were detained for questioning. 10 were held from Ahmedabad city while five from Surat, Navsari and Banaskantha. Later, in October, a madarsa linked with PFI was also sealed in Vadodara.
