Nizamabad police arrest three PFI activists

Three activists of Popular Front of India (PFI) were arrested in Telangana’s Nizamabad district on Wednesday on the charges of training Muslim young men in anti-national activities, police said.

The arrested were identified as Shaik Shadullah (40), Mohammad Imran (22) and Mohammad Abdul Mobin (27), who were into petty business activities, but were allegedly involved in training the Muslim youth in anti-national activities, Nizamabad commissioner of police K R Nagaraju told HT.

The three accused were booked under Section 120-A (criminal conspiracy by two or more persons), 120-B (criminal conspiracy for serious offence), 153-A (promoting enmity between two different groups) and 141 (unlawful assembly) of Indian Penal Code, besides Section 13(1)(b) of the Unlawful Activities (Preventions) Act - 1967.

The arrest of the three accused was made from the residence of Shadullah at his residence in Gundaram area in Nizamabad town.

The latest arrests follow the apprehension of a 54-year-old karate instructor, Abdul Qader, two days ago in the Autonagar area of the town. “The three accused arrested today admitted that they had engaged Khader for providing training to the gullible Muslim youth from the two Telugu states in various martial arts and use of lethal weapons,” Nagaraju said.

He said Qader was also roped into the PFI by the three accused after luring him with money, including ₹6 lakh for the construction of his house. In the last three years, Qader gave training to more than 200 Muslim youth in karate, Kung Fu and use of lethal weapons on the upper portion of his residence, the police commissioner said.

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided Qader’s house and seized banners of the PFI, bamboo batons, nun-chucks, stationery, reading material and books, audio system, and several bus and train tickets.

Interrogation of the arrested accused revealed that the PFI was trying to brainwash the local Muslim youth in Sharia law and Islamic fundamentalism and recruit them for anti-national activities, the police commissioner said. “Though there have been no PFI activities in the state till now, the latest arrests have revealed that the organisation is trying to expand its footprints in the state gradually,” Nagaraju said.

The arrested also confessed that similar workshops regarding legal matters were being conducted along with physical training by PFI members in Nizamabad, Jagitial, Hyderabad, Nellore, Kurnool and Kadapa.

While Qader was already produced before the court on Tuesday and sent to 14-day judicial remand, the three others would be sent to judicial custody on Thursday, police said.