Bihar Police are conducting raids in 10 districts to track down and nab 18 suspects in the Popular Front of India (PFI) module bust case, as investigations have revealed that the outfit had rented a three-storey building in Purnia as its headquarters. Speaking to The Daily Guardian on Tuesday, sources close to the investigation told that the Kerala-based Islamic extremist outfit had chosen Purnia as its headquarters for the town is strategically located and in case of trouble from law enforcement agencies it was easier for its operatives to make good their escape either to Nepal or to Bangladesh. The 15 training camps they had in Purnia, Motihari, Kishanganj and other towns had trainers from Kerala.
Bihar Police on 13 July had busted a potential terror module with links to the extremist outfit PFI and arrested Mohammad Jallauddin, a retired police officer of Jharkhand, Athar Parvez and Arman Malik from Phulwari Sharif area of Patna. Their interrogation led to Ahmed Danish, who was arrested on Friday from Patna. The investigators have arrested five accused in the case.
According to a top police official, Danish alias Tahir was in regular touch with his Pakistani handler Faizan, who is suspected to have links with Tehreek-
e-Labbaik Pakistan, a far-right Islamic political party from across the border. Both Danish and Faizan were admin of their group on WhatsApp, Gazwa-e-Hind, and had 181 members from Islaminc countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Yemen. Gazwa-e-Hind was used by its members to post anti-India videos and content including photographs. The chats retrieved from the Gazwa-e-Hind also talk of a big conclave of extremist elements from across Bangladesh, Yemen and Arab countries to be held in Bihar sometime in 2023.
The police also recovered an internal document after the arrests were made in the case, which talks of “rule of Islam in India”. Manish Kumar, ASP, Phulwari Sharif in Patna, on Wednesday last week had told the media that the eight-page-long document titled “India vision 2047” talks about “subjugating coward majority community and bringing back the glory”.
Interrogation of the terror suspects Athar and Arman by the SIT formed to investigate the case and Bihar ATS have led to many more revelations. During the course of interrogation, conducted in eight sessions that lasted 48 hours, Athar and Arman have made significant revelations about the PFI’s “Mission 2047”. Initially, both accused were reluctant to talk but when the investigators confronted them with technical evidence Athar and Arman spilled the beans about all those who are linked to the PFI and how deeply the outfit is entrenched in Kerala. The accused also revealed that the 15 training camps they had operating in Purnia, Katihar, Araria, Farbesganj, Kishanganj, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura, Motihari, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur had trainers from Kerala to train uneducated and unemployed youth there.
Further, Atahar and Arman have in their confessions told the interrogators that PFI wanted to make Purnia its headquarters. The outfit had rented a three-storey house in Vanbhag area of the town on a monthly rent of Rs. 40,000. The PFI had chosen Purnia for its headquarters for two reasons. The area was found favourable for the PFI to increase its influence and in case there was any trouble from law enforcement agencies its operatives could easily cross over to Nepal or Bangladesh. The accused have revealed the names of 18 of their associates who the ATS and Bihar Police are conducting raids across 10 districts to nab them including Patna, Kishanganj, Katihar and Araria.
According to top sources, the Enforcement Directorate may soon launch investigations into the sources of funding that Ahmed Danish alias Tahir and his associates have received. Sources in the NIA told The Daily Guardian Review that the central anti-terror investigative agency was helping the Bihar STF in the investigation.