PFI office across state sealed, arrested activists tightlipped about fund source

BENGALURU: A day after Union government announced a five-year ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associated organisations, the police have sealed the offices of the organisation across the state.

One of the PFI offices in Bengaluru.

In Bengaluru, Police Commissioner Pratap Reddy issued orders for sealing of the eight offices of PFI and its affiliates in the city. While the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sealed one of the offices, two offices have not been opened for some years now.

Police officials outside the CFI office.

In Belagavi, the PFI office at Subash Nagar, which was functioning from a rented house, was sealed. In Madikeri, the office at Mahadevpet was searched for more than three hours on Wednesday night and sealed after some documents and other materials were seized.

The PFI office in Belagavi was functioning out of a rented house.

In Dakshina Kannada district, 20 offices of the PFI, CFI and Information and Empowerment were sealed by the police across Mangaluru, Panambur, Suratkal, Bajpe, Ullal, Konaje, Bantwal, Uppinangady.

In Udupi district, PFI offices were sealed at five locations and the police are on the lookout for some missing activists whose phones are switched off.

Huge cash was seized from some of the arrested activists.

Meanwhile, the arrested activists are struggling to explain to the city police the source of the huge cash seized from their possession. The cash was seized from PFI activists in Kalaburagi, Shivamogga and Davanagere and the police believe it was meant for distribution among protesters and to draw people towards the organisation.

During their arrests, the police had recovered Rs 14.3 lakh from Sheik Ejaz of Kalaburagi and Rs 19 lakh from Syed Khan of Shivamogga.