On Sunday, July 2, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) teams are conducting raids in Bihar’s Patna and Darbhanga districts in connection to links with the banned group Popular Front of India (PFI). According to reports, an NIA and ATS teams arrived early morning on Sunday in Patna’s Phulwari Sharif police station area and Darbhanga’s Bahera. This raid is being carried out based on information received from Mumtaz Ansari, the accused in Phulwarisharif Patna police station case number 827.
A suspect named Habibullah has been apprehended in Bahera. SSP Avkash Kumar has confirmed the said arrest. The agencies have a lead that the arrested suspect has links to Pakistan’s ISI. Habibullah is said to be an expert in Arabic translations. He allegedly translated Arabic letters and documents into Hindi, Urdu or English for the PFI jihadis. The evidence has been found in a mobile phone seized from his possession.
Meanwhile, in Patna, the NIA-ATS teams are raiding a bookshop owned by one Riyazuddin Qasmi near Imarat Shariah in Phulwarisharif. Although nothing suspicious or incriminating has been found yet, it is being reported that the said bookshop was allegedly being used for carrying out extremist activities. The NIA team arrived at the location at around 2 am on Sunday. It is worth noting that a PFI training centre was found in Phulwarisharif earlier and arrests were made.
Notably, Mumtaz Ansari was apprehended by Bihar ATS from Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu. According to reports, a team of NIA and ATS officials arrived in Patna and Darbhanga to conduct raids based on information obtained from Mumtaz Ansari.
According to ADG, Bihar Police Headquarters Jitendra Singh Gangwar, the Bihar ATS was camping in the Tamil Nadu district of Tirivallur to arrest Mumtaz Ansari. He was handed over to the NIA by the Bihar ATS following his arrest. Mumtaz Ansari is a resident of the Mehsi police station area of Bihar’s East Champaran district. He had escaped Bihar and was working in Tamil Nadu Tirivallur under a fake identity in a company called Pennar.