Cracking its whip against the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out search operations at 20 different locations across the country in connection with its probe into the Phulwari Sharif terror module case and seized cash to the tune of Rs 8.5 lakh.
An NIA spokesperson here said that the anti-terror probe agency sleuths carried out searches at in Fazalpur, Shaheen Bagh, Okhla, and Chandni Chowk in Delhi, Bhopal district in Madhya Pradesh, Thane and Mumbai in Maharashtra, Tonk and Gangapur City districts in Rajasthan and in the regions of Lucknow, Siddharth Nagar, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The official said that the NIA also carried out searches in Madurai in Tamil Nadu. The official said that the searches were part of an ongoing investigations in cases linked with the PFI, and their involvement in unlawful and anti-national activities.
The official said that during searches, substantial cache of crucial evidence in the ongoing case was found.
"Evidence includes various digital devices such as laptops, mobile phones, SIM cards, memory cards, pen-drives, and hard disks. Furthermore, incriminating documents have been recovered," the official said.
The NIA also recovered cash to the tune of Rs 8.5 lakh in connection with the instant case.
The NIA had registered a case in July last year on the basis of the FIR registered at Phulwarisharif police station in Bihar's Patna district.
The Bihar Police had carried out searches on July 11 last year based on confidential information.
During the Bihar Police searches at the rented residence of Athar Parvez, led to the discovery of incriminating materials closely associated with the PFI.
The police also recovered a document titled "India 2047 Towards Rule of Islam in India, Internal Document: Not for circulation". Following the searches, several arrests were made including that of Parvej, Mohammad Jalaluddin Khan, Nooruddin Zangi a.k.a. Advocate Nooruddin, and Arman Malick a.k.a. Imteyaz Anwer for their alleged involvement in this matter.
The NIA had filed three charge sheets in connection with the case against 13 suspects.
The agency has arrested 17 accused persons for their alleged involvement in furthering the unlawful activities of PFI, including the illicit funneling of funds from overseas to the PFI members and suspects in this case.
Previously, the NIA conducted multiple searches in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala in order to collect evidence against the accused persons and suspects in the present case.
During the ongoing investigations, the NIA apprehended Anwar Rashid, a former member of the banned organization Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
Rashid's arrest is linked to his involvement in a criminal conspiracy, alongside FIR-named suspects Athar Parvej, Manjar Parvej, and others, all working towards advancing the agenda of the Popular Front of India (PFI).
Their aim has been the pursuit and establishment of an Islamic Rule in India by the year 2047.
Following the ban on SIMI, its members, including Rashid, were associated with Wahadat-e-Islami, an organisation formed by former SIMI members, and continued to promote the ideology of Islamic Rule in India.
The Investigations revealed that accused Rashid, in his association with a Publication house was involved in the supply of material for promoting the ideology of the PFI, specifically the establishment of Islamic Rule in India.