NIA arrests one more person in Bihar PFI conspiracy case

One more suspect has been arrested in the ongoing crackdown on activists of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) who had allegedly conspired to carry out targeted killings in Bihar's East Champaran, the NIA said on Monday.

Irshad alias "Belal", who was found to have been actively involved in the PFI's criminal conspiracy to spread communal hatred and enmity, is the seventh person to be arrested in the case, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) spokesperson said.

He said Irshad, a resident of Harpur-Kahuni village, was arrested from Jitaura village of Bihar's Motihari district on Sunday. He had attended training classes held under the garb of physical education at the Ahmad Palace in Patna's Phulwarisharif, the agency's official said.

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"Irshad was also associated with the PFI's training centres and activities. A printed PFI banner and two iron swords have been recovered at his instance from a hideout in Parsauni village in Muzaffarpur district," the NIA said.

The official said four persons were arrested earlier in the case pertaining to the PFI's unlawful and violent activities undertaken in the wake of its gathering in the Phulwarisharif area last year. Two others were arrested on Friday, he said.

The case was initially registered on July 12 last year at the Phulwarisharif police station and re-registered 10 days later by the NIA, which took over the investigations, the spokesperson said.

One person, identified as Yakoob, who had allegedly posted a derogatory and inflammatory Facebook video post aimed at disturbing peace and communal harmony, is still absconding and efforts are on to arrest him, the NIA official said.

On Friday, the NIA carried out raids at eight locations and arrested Tanveer Raza alias "Barkati" and Mohammad Abid alias "Aryan", both residents of Bahadurpur in East Champaran's Mehsi. Multiple digital devices were seized during the searches.

"Investigations have further revealed that the duo had arranged weapons and ammunition to carry out the PFI’s plan of targeted killings, for which the targets had been identified and recces had been conducted. They had handed over the arms and ammunition to a PFI trainer and absconding accused, Yakoob, who had been conducting training sessions for PFI cadres," the spokesperson said.

The official said more arrests are in the offing, as further investigations continue.