NIA nabs man from Kochi airport for links with PFI

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) have arrested a man from Malappuram district, who had been absconding for the past three years, after being booked in a case involving alleged arms training linked to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

Moideenkutty P., a resident of Kattipparuthi, Valanchery, was taken into custody by an NIA team on arrival from the UAE at the Cochin International Airport, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The accused, who was the coordinator of the physical education training of the PFI, had fled soon after registration of the case in September 2022. The NIA had conducted searches in his house and recovered incriminating documents,” the statement said.

“The case is related to a criminal conspiracy hatched by the PFI to create a communal divide between people of different communities through radicalisation of youth. As part of the conspiracy, the youth were trained in handling weapons and raising funds for carrying out acts of terror and violence, with the ultimate objective of establishing Islamic rule in India by 2047,” it added.

The anti-terror agency has filed chargesheets against 65 accused and is continuing with the investigation in the case.