The National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at 56 locations in Kerala on Thursday in the Popular Front of India (PFI) conspiracy case, sources said.

The searches are still going on at the premises and offices of several suspects having links with cadres of PFI, an organisation banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs in September this year with its associates, and affiliates for a period of five years under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 by declaring it as an unlawful association.

According to a ANI report, the raids started early on Thursday in coordination with state police following specific inputs against PFI cadres who are accused of their involvement in several terrorist acts and the murder of several persons, including Sanjith (Kerala, November 2021), V-Ramalingam (Tamil Nadu, 2019), Nandu (Kerala, 2021), Abhimanyu (Kerala, 2018), Bibin (Kerala, 2017), Sharath (Kamataka, 2017), R.Rudresh (Kamataka, 2016), Praveen Puyari (Karnataka, 2016), and Sasi Kumar (Tamil Nadu, 2016).

The MHA had earlier said that the criminal activities and brutal murders have been carried out by the PFI cadres for the sole objective of "disturbing public peace and tranquillity and creating a reign of terror in the public mind".

The MHA has also mentioned "international linkages of PFI with Global Terrorist Groups", and that some activists of the outfit have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and participated in terror activities in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, the ANI report stated.

Some of these PFI cadres linked to ISIS have been killed in these conflict theatres and some have been arrested by State Police and Central Agencies also the PFI has linkages with Jamat-ul-Muyahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a proscribed terrorist organization".

The NIA had carried out searches at more than 150 locations across the country against PFI cadres so far this year.