Assam Police on Saturday informed that a leader of proscribed Islamic organization Popular Front of India’s (PFI) student wing had been arrested from Bengaluru.
According to reports, the leader had been absconding since the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) nationwide crackdown on the organization, earlier this year.
An official said that an Assam Police team led by a DSP-rank official arrested the Campus Front of India (CFI) leader from Bengaluru’s Bellundur on Friday.
Police identified the accused as Amir Hamza. They said that Hamza was hiding in Bengaluru with some families from Tripura.
Following his arrest, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Bengaluru gave Hamza’s transit remand for three days to Assam Police. He is being brought to Guwahati, a statement from police read.
The police statement further mentioned that he will be produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Guwahati on Monday.
Disclosing more information regarding the arrest, officials informed that Hamza is a resident of Assam’s Baksa district. He had been on the run since the Centre announced a ban on PFI.
Based on specific inputs, he was traced and nabbed with help from Bengaluru Police, the statement further added.
It may be noted that at least 40 PFI members and leaders have been arrested from different parts of Assam since the government declared a ban on the organization.
The offices belonging to the proscribed organization have been sealed by the police including the one in Guwahati’s Hatigaon area, along with the ones in Karimganj and Baksa districts of the state.
Earlier on September 22, the NIA along with Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out the “largest-ever” raids across the nation against the PFI and arrested over 100 members and people connected with them.
In the massive operation, arrests were made in more than 10 states. According to reports, the Union home ministry kept close tabs on the operations. NIA registered more than a dozen cases related to PFI links and raided more than 100 places across the nation in connection with the PFI links.
