The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday said it has attached part of a school building in Maharashtra's Pune which it alleged was used by the PFI to radicalise the Muslim youth for carrying out targeted killings of the leaders of a community.
?? ??
The attachment of the 4th and 5th floors of the Blue Bell School was undertaken on Sunday and the federal anti-terror probe agency said in a statement that the Popular Front of India (PFI) was "recruiting" innocent Muslim youth into the outfit on these premises and also providing them with armed and unarmed training to eliminate/attack those opposed to the establishment of Islamic rule in the country by 2047.
?? ??
The PFI was banned and declared an "unlawful association" by the Union government in September last year after a number of its office bearers were raided and arrested by the NIA and other central agencies and state police departments.
?? ??
The action has been undertaken under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the immovable asset has been called "proceeds of terrorism" by the NIA.
?? ??
The action relates to an FIR filed against the PFI in April last year and a chargesheet was filed in March this year before a Delhi court and the NIA named 20 entities including the PFI.
?? ??
"The NIA had conducted a search of the two floors of the school premises on September 22 last year. The agency had seized incriminating documents, which revealed that the said property was used by the accused, found to be associated with the PFI, for organising arms training for its cadres."
?? ??
"The training camps served as a platform to incite innocent Muslim youth against the government, as well as leaders and organisations of a particular community," the agency said.
?? ??
The camps were also used to "inflame their passions" and "provoke" them into embracing violent "jihad", to commit terrorist activities, the NIA said.
?? ??
The agency said its probe found that the newly recruited PFI cadres were trained in the use of dangerous weapons, like a knife, sickle, etc, for "attacking and murdering" prominent leaders opposed to the outfit's ideology of establishing an Islamic rule in India.
?? ??
"The NIA investigations had earlier revealed that the accused were part of the criminal conspiracy to establish Caliphate and Islamic rule in India by waging war against the country and toppling the democratically elected government.
?? ??
"They were all identified as senior PFI cadres/NEC members/ accountant(s)/authorised signatories of PFI's bank accounts," it said.