Popular Front: ED Seizes Assets Worth 67 Crores Across 7 Districts, Including Manjeri Green Valley
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its actions against the Popular Front of India (PFI), seizing assets worth Rs 67 crore across seven districts, including the Manjeri Green Valley. Among the properties confiscated are the Education and Culture Trust in Pandalam, the Islamic Centre Trust in Wayanad, the Periyar Valley Charitable Trust in Aluva, the Valluvanadan Trust in Palakkad, the Alappuzha Social Cultural & Education Trust, and the Haritham Foundation in Poovanchina, Malappuram. SDPI’s land in Thiruvananthapuram is also included in the seized assets. With this latest action, the ED announced that it has confiscated a total of Rs 131 crore worth of assets belonging to the banned organization Popular Front, which controlled the SDPI party.
Investigations had revealed that PFI office bearers, members, and cadres conspired to collect funds from India and abroad through banking channels, hawala, and donations to carry out and finance terrorist activities across India. Following these findings, the central government banned the organization. The activities of the Popular Front of India were prohibited by the central government for five years in 2022, considering national security and law and order. On September 22, 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted nationwide raids, leading to the arrest of 106 individuals. From Kerala alone, 19 leaders were arrested.
The investigation also found that SDPI is the political face of PFI, and PFI controls, finances, and oversees SDPI’s operations. SDPI primarily relied on PFI for its policy formulation, candidate selection, and public events.
The ED further clarified that PFI and SDPI extensively collected funds from foreign countries (primarily Gulf nations) and locally, under the guise of relief and social activities.