Kerala man arrested by NIA after four years on the run in PFI arms training case

Kochi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a man from Kerala’s Malappuram district who had been absconding for nearly four years in connection with an alleged arms training case linked to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

The accused, Moitheenkutty, a native of Valanchery in Malappuram, was taken into custody at Nedumbassery airport near Kochi. Investigators said he had been on the run since 2022 and was among the key accused in a case involving alleged arms training camps organised for PFI activists.

According to agency sources, a dedicated NIA team had been tracking his movements based on intelligence inputs gathered from multiple states. A reward of Rs 7 lakh had earlier been announced for information leading to his arrest, reflecting the agency’s assessment of his alleged role in the case.

Moitheenkutty was intercepted at the airport while reportedly attempting to travel abroad. Officials described the arrest as a significant breakthrough in the ongoing probe, launched as part of a wider crackdown on extremist activities following the Centre’s ban on the PFI in 2022.

After being taken into custody, he was produced before the jurisdictional court and remanded. The NIA is expected to seek custodial interrogation to gather further details about the alleged training network, coordination among the accused, and possible financial or logistical support structures.

The agency has been pursuing multiple cases linked to alleged radicalisation, recruitment and arms training across several states. Investigators said sustained surveillance and inter-state coordination were crucial in tracing the absconding accused.

In late January, the NIA conducted coordinated early-morning searches across several districts in Kerala as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected attempts to revive the banned organisation and alleged financial support for extremist activities. Residences and offices of former office-bearers of the PFI and its political wing, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), were among the locations searched.

(IANS)