The 33-year-old accused, Nossam Mohamed Yunus, was wanted for his alleged involvement in the Nizamabad terror conspiracy case.
The case pertains to a criminal conspiracy hatched by the leaders and cadres of the proscribed outfit PFI. (Commons)
An alleged “master weapons trainer” of the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) was arrested from Karnataka, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Wednesday, 14 June.
The 33-year-old accused, Nossam Mohamed Yunus, was living under an assumed identity there, said a spokesperson from the probe agency.
He was wanted for his alleged involvement in the Nizamabad terror conspiracy case, the spokesperson added.
The official said that Yunus of Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh was working in his older brother’s inverter business.
When his house was searched in September 2022, he was found to be absconding along with his wife and two minor sons.
The spokesperson said investigations revealed that Yunus had moved his entire family out of Andhra Pradesh and was hiding out in the Cowl Bazaar area in the Ballari district in Karnataka, where he had assumed a new identity — Basheer — and was working as a plumber.
The case pertains to an alleged criminal conspiracy hatched by the leaders and cadres of the proscribed outfit PFI to recruit and radicalise youth, and provide them with arms training to promote and carry out terrorist activities with the ultimate objective of establishing Islamic rule in the country, the agency alleged.
“Yunus was a master weapons trainer and was providing training to the youth recruited by PFI in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,” said the spokesperson.
“He was also the PE (Physical Education) training state coordinator for these two states in the Nizamabad PFI case,” added the individual.
The NIA claimed that Yunus, who had been giving evasive replies during the NIA interrogation, said one Shaikh ilyas Ahmed was also involved in the PFI weapons training programme. Ilyas is currently absconding.
“With his arrest, the NIA has once again exposed the PFI’s radical and nefarious plans to drive a communal wedge between the communities, and to use innocent Muslim youth to disturb and disrupt peace and communal harmony in the country,” the spokesperson said.
The Telangana police had initially registered an FIR in the case on 4 July last year. The NIA subsequently took over the case.
It has so far filed two chargesheets against 16 people accused in this case.
The Centre banned the PFI and its eight affiliate outfits under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on 28 September last year for their alleged terror-linked activities.
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