PFI booked: ED files prima facie evidence of money laundering

The Enforcement Directorate has found prima facie evidence to suggest that the Popular Front of India was involved in money laundering. Based on a case registered by the National Investigation Agency, the ED filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against the PFI, which has a strong presence in Kerala and Karnataka.

The BJP has been demanding a ban on the outfit in Karnataka while alleging that the PFI was behind the killing of several of its workers and leaders.

The central probe agency has filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on a 2013 FIR of the NIA and a subsequent chargesheet.

Officials said the agency will look into the alleged role of the "radical" outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) with respect to suspected terror funding and possible creation of assets by using "tainted" funds.

The anti-terror probe organisation, National Investigation Agency (NIA), had submitted a report on the PFI to the Union Home Ministry a few months back claiming that the group has been involved in terror activities, including running terror camps and making bombs, and it was a fit case to be banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The cases which the NIA cited to claim PFI's alleged involvement in terror acts are: chopping of a professors palm in Kerala's Idukki district, organising a training camp in Kannur from where the NIA allegedly seized swords, country- made bombs and ingredients for making IEDs, murder of RSS leader Rudresh in Bengaluru and the plans to carry out terror attacks in South India by involving another outfit, Islamic State Al-Hindi.

The NIA had filed its case against the PFI in 2013, after taking it from the state police, for allegedly organising a terror camp in Kannur in that year.

It had also filed a chargesheet against 22 accused in the case relating to alleged seizure of weapons from an arms training centre of the PFI in Kerala.