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ED carries out raids at 26 premises linked to PFI leaders in nine states

Popular Front has been under ED lens since 2018 and the agency had claimed that at least Rs 1.04 crore was deposited in several bank accounts
Last Updated 03 December 2020, 13:28 IST

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted raids at 26 premises linked to the Popular Front of India in nine states, including those belonging to its Chairman O M Abdul Salam and Kerala chief Nasarudheen Elamarom, in connection with a money laundering probe.

The Popular Front called it a "politically motivated" action while claiming that such raids usually happen whenever the government in power comes under the pressure of popular anger and it wants to divert national attention from it through "gimmick", referring to the ongoing protest by farmers against three agriculture sector laws.

The ED is investigating Popular Front's "financial links" on charges of fuelling the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (anti-CAA) protests in the country, the Delhi riots that took place in February and a few other instances. It is also probing the "financial links" between the Popular Front and Chandrasekhar Azad-led Bhim Army in its money laundering case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

According to the ED, it has conducted searches in Chennai, Tenkasi and Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Bengaluru, Darbhanga and Purnea (Bihar), Lucknow and Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh), Aurangabad in Maharashtra, Kolkata and Murshidabad (West Bengal), Jaipur, Shaheen Bagh area in Delhi and in Kochi, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
Raids were conducted at the residences of Sala, Elamaram, Vice Chairman EM Abdul Rahman, National Executive member P Koya and former state president Karamana Ashraf in Kerala. Sources said laptops, pendrives, books and some other documents were seized by the ED officials from these premises.

The ED had earlier recorded the statement of Salam, a Senior Assistant in the Kerala State Electricity Board, besides other office bearers in Delhi.

In a statement, the Popular Front, which was formed in 2006, said, "the Modi government has always used national agencies against its political opponents and to crush dissent in the country to the point that the credibility of these agencies has come under question."

It said the Centre has come under immense pressure following the Centre coming under "immense pressure" following the farmers' protests blocking Delhi and the ED raids are nothing but a "gimmick" to divert the issue.

Elamaram told DH that the raids were part of a political ploy to divert attention from the ongoing farmers' stir. ED had sought certain details from the Popular Front several months back and all those were submitted.

Now they have seized some laptops, pen drives and some books, which were quite common gadgets in most houses where students are studying, he said. Demonstrations were also held at various places in Kerala.

The Popular Front has been under the ED lens since 2018 and the agency had claimed that at least Rs 1.04 crore was deposited in several bank accounts linked to the organisation between December 4 last year and January 6 this year in various parts of the country, which were used for fuelling anti-CAA protests.

It had also said that around Rs 120 crore in accounts linked to Popular Front were also under the ED scanner.

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(Published 03 December 2020, 12:41 IST)

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