NIA unearths ‘hawala’ network allegedly used by banned outfit PFI to route funds

Five accused have been arrested with the Central agency alleging that the outfit’s cadre in Bihar had decided to continue its activities in a clandestine manner in the State

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested five persons who were allegedly part of a multi-State “hawala” network that was being used by the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) to route funds.

The accused have been identified as Mohammed Sinan, Sarfraz Nawaz, Iqbal and M. Abdul Rafeek from Karnataka and K.M. Abid, a resident of Kasaragod in Kerala.

On Tuesday, the agency, while tracing the funds being moved by the outfit, particularly in Kerala, Karnataka and Bihar, in relation to the Phulwarisharif (Patna) case, said that it unearthed a large network of “hawala” operatives in South India. “A PFI funding-by-hawala module operating out of Bihar and Karnataka with roots in the United Arab Emirates has been busted with the arrests of the five accused,” said an official.

The NIA alleged that the PFI cadre in Bihar’s Phulwarisharif and Motihari had decided to continue the outfit’s activities in a clandestine manner in the State. Recently, they had also allegedly arranged a firearm and ammunition to eliminate a young man of a particular community in East Champaran.

“Earlier in this case, seven accused persons have already been arrested...they had gathered in Phulwarisharif area of Patna in July last year for training and to carry out acts of terror and violence,” said the agency.

Since July 2022, as alleged, the probe team has found that despite the ban on PFI, its leaders and cadre have not relented. The agency found that funds collected by Iqbal and other associates from Dubai and Abu Dhabi were handed over to Mohammed Sinan, Sarfraz Nawaz, M. Abdul Rafeek and K.M. Abid in India. The money was deposited in different bank accounts.