NIA raids premises linked to SDPI in Kerala, four arrested

Malappuram: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) on Friday took four people into custody 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). It was the Kochi unit of the NIA that swooped down around 3 a.m. at five residences in the district. More details are awaited about the people who have been taken into custody.

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.

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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. Founded in 2009, the SDPI has long been accused of having close ties with the PFI, which was banned by the Union government in 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for its alleged involvement in anti-national activities.

While the SDPI has consistently denied any direct association with the PFI, claiming to be an independent political organisation, Faizy’s arrest and the fresh raids have once again put the party’s financial dealings under the scanner.

Earlier, the ED had written to the Election Commission of India seeking details of the funding and expenditure of SDPI over the years as part of its crackdown. –IANS sg/dpb

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