MALAPPURAM: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the residences of former Popular Front of India (PFI) members in Malappuram and Kannur on Sunday as part of a nationwide crackdown on the banned outfit.
The synchronised raids began at 4.30 AM. In Kannur, various locations at Kodaparamba, Kannur City, and Pallipram were raided. In Malappuram, houses of ex-PFI members, namely Hamsa at Vengara, Kalathingal Yahutty at Tirur, Cholayil Haneefa at Tanur, and Jafer at Ragattoor, were searched. The early morning raids aimed at eliminating the possibility of any PFI member or sympathiser alerting others of the operation.
The raids came close on the heels of NIA’s attachment of the Green Valley Academy in Manjeri, which, it said, was a “prominent arms and physical training centre of the PFI.” The attachment procedures were executed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
An NIA probe had revealed that PFI was utilising the facility for arms training and physical conditioning of its members, besides explosives testing.