The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting raids at various locations in Bengaluru’s Dakshina Kannada district on Wednesday.
The purpose of these raids is to uncover a conspiracy by the banned organization Popular Front of India (PFI) to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Patna in July 2022.
As part of the operation, the NIA has detained four suspects from Puttur, Kurnadka, Taripadpu, and Kumbra villages. The suspects have been identified as Mohammed Haris Kumbra, Sajjad Hussain Kodimbadi, Faizal Ahmed Tarigudde, and Samshuddin Kurnadka.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a remand note against PFI member Shafeeque Payeth last year, revealed that the PFI had conspired to target Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Patna on July 12, 2022. The ED also alleged that the PFI was involved in the preparing of terrorist modules and planning other attacks.
The NIA is currently raiding at 16 locations, including Beltangadi, Puttur, Bantwala, Uppinangadi, and Venura in the Dakshina Kannada district. These raids are part of an ongoing investigation into the banned organization’s plot to attack Prime Minister Modi during a rally in Bihar.
According to NIA sources, the officials, in collaboration with the local police, are verifying documents at the targeted locations.
The search operation includes residences, offices, and medical facilities associated with activists linked to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in Mangaluru, Puttur, Beltangady, Uppinangady, Venur, and Bantwal.
It is alleged that the PFI received funds from Gulf countries to finance their terrorist activities in India. These raids are part of a larger effort to dismantle the PFI’s hawala money network in South India.
Last year, five individuals were arrested in Patna for engaging in anti-national activities following raids conducted in the Phulwari Sharif area. The search operation led to the discovery of several incriminating documents, including PFI’s ‘Mission 2047,’ which reportedly targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
NIA sources suspect the existence of a network connected to the PFI in Dakshina Kannada, which is why a team of NIA officials is investigating the district.
