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NIA arrests PFI activist in Kerala

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested a member of the Popular Front of India (PFI), the banned terrorist organization, from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.

SNS | Thiruvananthapuram | October 8, 2023 9:58 pm

NIA arrests PFI activist in Kerala

National Investigation Agency (NIA). (File Photo: IANS)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested a member of the Popular Front of India (PFI), the banned terrorist organization, from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.

Sulfi Ibrahim, a native of Tholicode near Vithura in Thiruvananthapuram, was nabbed by the anti-terror agency as a part of the nationwide crackdown on PFI. Sources said Sufi Ibrahim was nabbed by the NIA sleuths while he was trying to flee the country and planning to travel to Kuwait.

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Prior to his arrest, the NIA team, with the help of Kerala Police, had conducted a raid at Ibrahim’s residence. However, Ibrahim had managed to flee from the spot and since then he was under the radar of the investigation agencies.

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On September 28, 2022, the Central government banned PFI and associated outfits for five years for unlawful activities. Several PFI leaders were arrested following a nationwide crackdown called Operation Octopus.

In july, the NIA attached the Green Valley Academy at Manjery in Kerala’s Malappuram district, which was allegedly controlled by the banned outfit PFI.

According to the NIA, the Green Valley was one of the oldest and largest arms training centres of PFI in Kerala. It was started during the period of National Development Front, a former organisation of PFI, in 1994.

The NIA said that the training centre was spread over 10 hectares of land at Manjeri in Malappuram and operated under the cover of Green Valley Academy.

Prior to this, the NIA had attached five other PFI training centres in Kerala – Malabar House, Periyar Valley, Valluvanad House, Karunya Charitable Trust, and Trivandrum Education and Service Trust (TEST).

In August, the NIA conducted raids on several PFI offices due to their involvement in terrorist activities. Six PFI activists from lower ranks were arrested by the agency in cases of Hawala money transactions.

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The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010. A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice P V Balakrishnan suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail to him after considering his appeal against the NIA court’s conviction in the case Considering the prolonged detention and citing the potential for trial delays, the court suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail, taking into account that some co-accused with similar allegations had already been released after serving shorter terms. The court noted that he had already spent nine years in jail and that delays in resolving appeals could justify suspending a convict’s prison term. It also observed that other accused in the case had received lesser sentences and had already been released after serving their terms. “The applicant has been undergoing incarceration, at the pre-conviction and post-conviction phases, for over 9 years. Furthermore, the fact that the accused facing the same allegations were earlier imposed a lesser term of imprisonment and have been released after having undergone the sentence is a factor that cannot be ignored. Additionally, the appeals filed by the NIA against the findings of the learned Sessions Judge are being considered in separate appeals, which have not yet been taken up. “There is also the likelihood of delay, as the prime accused has surrendered, and the learned Sessions Judge may have to take up the trial and dispose of it in accordance with the law and some of the original records may be required for that purpose. In view of these facts and circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that the sentence imposed on the applicant can be suspended pending the consideration of the appeal.” The court said The court, however, imposed strict conditions for Nasar’s bail. He is not supposed to provide a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties, refrain from leaving the country without the court’s permission, avoid interfering with the trial or witnesses, and not commit similar offences while on bail The gruesome incident dates back to July 4, 2010, when Joseph, a professor at Newman College, Thodupuzha, was returning from Sunday mass with his family, members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) attacked him, allegedly in retaliation for a question paper he set, which contained a passage that they claimed insulted Prophet Mohammed was derogatory. His right hand was chopped off in this attack. Nasar was accused of playing a critical role in the attack. Investigations revealed his involvement in recruiting gang members, assigning specific tasks, collecting funds, procuring communication devices, and maintaining communication links with key conspirators.

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010.