NIA raids SDPI linked premises in Malappuram, four taken into custody
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Malappuram: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took four people into custody on Friday after raiding five houses in Kerala's Malappuram district.
The raids were held in continuation of the action by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which conducted raids at the residences and offices of some SDPI activists in March.
The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) is the political arm of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI).
The Kochi unit of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted a series of raids around 3 a.m. at five residences in Kerala's Malappuram district, taking four individuals into custody. Further details about the detained individuals are pending.
On March 6, the ED sleuths conducted raids in three districts of the state, and on March 20, they again raided the houses and offices of SDPI activists. Both these searches came after the arrest of the SDPI’s National President M.K. Faizy in connection with an alleged money laundering case tied to the PFI.
Faizy was taken into custody at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on March 3 and was subsequently presented before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court at the Patiala House courts.
The court then granted the ED six days of custodial interrogation.
Investigators claimed that the SDPI received Rs 4.07 crore from the PFI through illegal hawala channels and allegedly funnelled the funds to its units nationwide.
The SDPI has faced allegations of having close ties with the Popular Front of India (PFI), which was banned by the Union government in 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for alleged anti-national activities. Despite the SDPI's claims of being an independent political organisation, recent events have put their financial dealings under scrutiny. The SDPI was founded in 2009, and the party has consistently denied any direct association with the PFI. However, the arrest of SDPI's national president, M.K. Faizy, on money laundering charges related to the PFI case, and subsequent raids on SDPI offices nationwide, have raised questions about the party's funding and expenditure. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought details of the SDPI's financial activities from the Election Commission of India as part of its investigation.
(inputs from IANS)
