NIA carries out searches at 7 locations in Rajasthan in PFI conspiracy case

PTI, Feb 18, 2023, 6:49 PM IST

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted searches at seven locations in Rajasthan in connection with a case pertaining to unlawful activities by the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), an official said.

The raids were conducted at three places in Kota and one each in Madhopur, Bhilwara, Bundi and Jaipur districts on residential and commercial premises of suspects, a spokesperson of the federal anti-terror agency said.

During the searches, the official said, digital devices, an airgun, sharp weapons and incriminating documents were seized.

The spokesperson said the searches were conducted as a follow up to a case registered suo motu by the NIA on September 19 last year after getting information from reliable sources that PFI members Sadiq Sarraf of Baran and Mohammed Asif of Kota were indulging in ”unlawful activities” along with other office-bearers and cadres.

Further investigation in the case is in progress, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, an NIA team reached Aman Colony in Vigyan Nagar area of Kota, where the agency raided the house of advocate Ansar Indori and recovered some documents, according to sources. After the raid, Indori said that the NIA team questioned him about a court case ‘RC 41/2022/NIA/DLI’, which was challenged in Rajasthan High Court and he was a legal counsellor in the case. The advocate alleged that the move (raid by NIA) was aimed at harassing him for challenging the case in the court. ”The team reached my house at around 5.15 am on Saturday and took me to the police station where they questioned me till around 7.40 am. They seized some reports on human rights and some books authored by noted human right activists from my house,” Indori told reporters in Kota. However, the advocate denied any link with PFI. According to the sources, another NIA team reached Mahaveer Colony in Bundi city at around 4 am on Saturday and carried out search operation at PFI’s Bundi district president Anis Ansari’s house. However, Ansari was not found in the house. According to Ansari’s family members, he was out of station for a wedding function. The NIA team recovered mobile phones and some documents from the house, they said. Ansari had contested state assembly elections from Social Democratic Party of India in 2018.