The city police have arrested 15 people so far from Karnataka, including two from Bengaluru, in connection with action against the Popular Front of India (PFI) as a part of the nationwide joint operation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Police sources said the 15 people were arrested for allegedly organising conspiracy to radicalise Muslim youth towards violent acts of extremist nature, receiving funds to impart training in using lethal weapons and deputing them to “undertake targeted attacks.”
The accused have been produced before the court and taken into custody for further investigation. The police have seized electronic gadgets like mobile phones, laptops and pen drives, along with some documents from their houses during the raid, which the officials are verifying.
The action by the city police is based on the intelligence inputs provided by the NIA while they were probing foreign funds received for the alleged planned attacks, said police officials, adding that the city police had been directed to kept a tab for many days before registering the case .
Commenting on the raids on PFI offices and office-bearers in the State, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told media persons on Saturday that both NIA and Karnataka police have taken suitable action regarding PFI’s activities in the State.
