The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday carried out raids at multiple locations in Kerala including residences of second-rung leaders of the banned outfit – Popular Front of India (PFI). One person has been taken into custody by the NIA.

Mubarak, a native of Edavanakkad, was taken into custody. It is learnt that weapons were recovered from his house. Many documents and electronic devices including mobile phones were seized in the raid.

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As the NIA conducted raids on the residences of several leaders of the PFI across Kerala, the absence of the leaders of the banned outfit in some locations raided by the central agency has raised suspicion that somebody leaked the information to them.

When the NIA team arrived at three places in Pathanamthitta district for a raid, important leaders had already left the place. It is suspected that the information about the raid was leaked from the Kerala Police.

The alleged leaking of the information regarding the raid has been taken seriously by the NIA and the agency is likely to probe the matter. This time the NIA raid was conducted with the cooperation of the Kerala Police.

Last September, the NIA team conducted raids at PFI offices and residences of its leaders with the support of the CRPF. The state police’s assistance was not sought then

Earlier, there were reports that the NIA has handed over details of 873 police officials suspected to have links with the PFI to Kerala DGP. However, the police have denied such reports.

Official sources said the simultaneous raids began on Wednesday night at 56 places spread across Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Palakkad, Alappuzha, Kozhikode, Kannur and Malappuram districts. The raids were conducted following inputs that a few leaders were still actively coordinating the functioning of the PFI despite the ban.

In Thiruvananthapuram district, raids were carried out at Kudaikkul, Nedumangad Vithura and Pallikal. In Ernakulam, the raid took place at the house of former PFI state secretary MK Ashraf in Muvattupuzha, Aluva Periyar Valley Campus, Kakkanad, and Edavanakkad.

The NIA conducted a raid at the house of former PFI leader Suneer Moulavi at Kanjirapally in Kottayam district. The raid took place at four places in Alappuzha district. The NIA conducted raids at nine places in Kannur district.

It is reported that many documents and electronic devices including mobile phones were seized in the raid. Mobile phones were seized in raids in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Kollam and documents were seized in the raid in Muvattupuzha.

It is reported that crucial documents have been seized from the house of the PFI former national president OMA Salam’s brother at Manjeri in Malappuram.