The banned terror outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) formed an elite team named “Reporters” to attack Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders and activists. These “Reporters” were trained to carry out their nefarious designs as well as the manner to assault the BJP and RSS members. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made the shocking revelations in its supplementary charge sheet which was filed in Delhi’s Patiala House Court.
Aaj Tak reported that the agency stated in its supplementary charge sheet that the group designated as “Reporters” was created specifically to target members of the BJP-RSS. Those involved were engineered to locate and strike their targets.
The ED has filed a supplementary chargesheet in the court against 12 PFI members in a reported Rs 120 crore Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. According to the charge sheet, PFI generated Rs 120 crore from criminal activities. Sixty crore of this amount was deposited directly into PFI’s bank account.
The agency said that the outlawed extremist group was utilising the funds in illegal operations which included housing PFI members who had engaged in violence and providing financial support for their weddings. The ED further divulged that PFI prepared its members for combat and murder under the guise of training. Furthermore, those who underwent this training were urged to commit crimes.
The primary focus of the ED investigation was rupee manipulation under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). However, the inquiry discovered that PFI used this money to encourage acts of violence among its members. PFI, however, has refuted these accusations. Anees Ahmed, the national general secretary of the organisation claimed that PFI is only active in India, but the charge sheet unveiled that hundreds of PFI members work in Gulf nations. They collect money and send it to the radical group in India.
ED has compiled this information on 14,428 individuals who live abroad. The data was uncovered on a hard drive that was taken from Kozhikode’s Unity House. The names of the people who work there are from Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, United Arab Emirates to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman as well as other countries in Asia which proves the vast network of PFI.
Notably, on 28th September 2022, the Government of India declared PFI an “unlawful association” and temporarily banned the organisation for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The government reasoned that the organisation was “prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country” and cited the group’s connection with terror organisations like Students Islamic Movement of India, Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.