GUNTUR/KURNOOL: In a pre-dawn swoop, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested four people suspected to be members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Guntur city. Meanwhile, searches were conducted at the residence of a suspected Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) activist in Kurnool.
The NIA sleuths conducted searches at four locations in Guntur as part of investigation into a case registered in Telangana recently. According to sources, two NIA teams accompanied by central police forces began the raids around 2 am.
Those arrested have been identified as Riyaz Ahmed, a resident of Sangadigunta, Abdul Wahid Ali, a vegetable vendor in old Guntur, Abdul Rahim, a real estate agent in Kothapet, and Shaik Zafarulla Khan, a dry fruits vendor in Lalapet.They were taken into custody and shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation. Later, they were produced before a court.
PFI movements have not been reported in the district since the NIA had arrested PFI district convenor Shadullah and two other members — Mohammed Imran and Mohammed Abdul — a few years ago. In old town of Kurnool city, mild tension prevailed as searches were conducted at the residence of Abdullah Wariz, who is suspected to be an SDPI activist.
It has been learnt that Wariz was taken into custody in Hyderabad and searches were conducted to find any incriminating documents. Police found a book containing by-laws of the party and a bill book among other material. As word about the raids spread, a number of people gathered in the locality and raised slogans against the NIA, BJP and RSS.CRPF personnel were reportedly deployed to provide security to the NIA instead of local police.