ED information 1st chargesheet in opposition to PFI; claims it wished to unfold terror after Hathras rape case

The Enforcement Directorate has filed its first chargesheet in opposition to Popular Front of India and its college students’ wing on cash laundering costs, claiming its members wished to “incite communal riots and spread terror” within the aftermath of the final 12 months Hathras gang rape case.
The central company has been probing the Popular Front of India (PFI), shaped in 2006 in Kerala and headquartered in Delhi, since 2018.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) lately began investigations into the Islamic organisations’ alleged function in “funding” anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests and the communal riots which passed off in Delhi final 12 months.

The prosecution criticism or chargesheet was filed earlier than a particular PMLA courtroom in Lucknow on Wednesday below varied sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Those named embrace PFI member and college students’ wing Campus Front of India’s (CFI) nationwide common secretary Okay A Rauf Sherif, CFI nationwide treasurer Atikur Rahman, Delhi CFI common secretary Masud Ahmed, a journalist “associated with PFI” Siddique Kappan, and Mohammed Alam, who’s a member of the CFI and the PFI.
The particular courtroom took cognisance of the ED chargesheet and issued summons to the 5 accused for showing earlier than it on March 18 and face trial, official sources mentioned on Thursday.
Rauf was arrested by the ED from an airport in Kerala in December final 12 months whereas he was “trying to flee the country”.
The relaxation 4 had been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police in Mathura final 12 months whereas they had been on their technique to Hathras after the alleged gangrape and demise of a Dalit girl in that district.
The ED claimed in a press release issued right here that the 4 had been going to “disturb communal harmony, incite violence and spread terror.”
A recent PMLA case was filed by the ED in opposition to PFI operatives on the idea of a Uttar Pradesh Police FIR.
The company mentioned its probe discovered “that the visit (to Hathras) of these PFI/CFI members was under the instructions of Rauf Sherif and funds for the same were also provided by him.”
“ED investigation has established that Rauf Sherif entered into a criminal conspiracy with PFI members stationed in Gulf countries to fraudulently transfer money raised/collected abroad by PFI in the guise of payments related to business transactions,” it mentioned.
“The money was laundered through different layers and eventually reached Rauf Sherif and his associates belonging to PFI and CFI,” the ED mentioned.
Calling these funds of Rs 1.36 crore as “proceeds of crime, the company mentioned that it was obtained because of felony exercise regarding felony conspiracy.
Part of the funds was utilized by PFI and CFI workplace bearers, members, activists in India “for their continuous unlawful activities over the time which included, but were not limited to, funding of anti-CAA protests, inciting violence and fomenting trouble which led to Delhi riots in the month of February, 2020, and in respect to the more specific incident investigated in this chargesheet that is the purported visit of PFI/CFI to Hathras with an intent to disturb communal harmony, incite communal riots and spread terror”, the ED mentioned.
It alleged that Kappan took “active part in the conspiracy (in Hathras) as he had relations with PFI and was involved in use of proceeds of crime and transferred funds into the bank account of Rahman.”
The automotive utilized by these 4 to journey to Hathras was bought in money with “crime money” of Rs 2.25 lakh about 10-15 days previous to their go to, the ED mentioned.
The company claimed {that a} “part of proceeds of crime was projected as untainted money and used for purchase of land and was thus parked to enable future use by PFI/CFI.”
The ED alleged that funds of “over Rs 100 crore have been deposited in accounts of PFI over the years, and a very large part of the same has been deposited in cash.” The supply and disbursal of those funds is below investigation, it mentioned.
“PFI has been continuously indulging in various scheduled offences under the PMLA ever since the Narath (Kannur) arms training case of 2013 investigated by the NIA in which members of PFI/SDPI were convicted of organising a terrorist camp and entering into criminal conspiracy to impart training to the youth in use of explosives and weapons, with an intention to prepare them for terrorist activities,” the ED mentioned in its assertion. It claimed that the “involvement of PFI and its related organisations in the commission of such scheduled offences and the money transfers and cash deposits have significantly increased since the said incident in 2013”.
The PFI has been “involved” in anti-CAA protests and a number of other of its members and activists had been additionally arrested by the Delhi Police within the riots case, the ED mentioned.
It additionally charged PFI with “collecting huge amounts of funds abroad through PFI members/activists specifically appointed”, saying targets for assortment of international funds had been mounted.
“These funds have been remitted to India through hawala and under-ground channels and through remittances sent to the accounts of members/activists/office bearers of PFI and related organisations and also to their family members and associates,” it mentioned.
“Statutory compliance for collection of funds abroad and their remittance to India have not been done by PFI and its related organisations like Rehab India Foundation (which received around Rs 50 lakh as foreign contribution from abroad) as they are not registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976,” the ED mentioned in its costs in opposition to PFI.
Investigation concerning cash laundering actions of PFI and its associated organisations, and use of funds in varied illegal actions is in progress and supplementary chargesheets shall be filed, it mentioned.