The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has executed a major crackdown on a sophisticated multinational terror funding network linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

Following an extensive investigation, the ED uncovered that this network orchestrated the movement of over ₹62 crore through a shadow economy, employing fraudulent financial practices, fake trusts, underground hawala channels, and a dedicated chain of operatives to finance terrorist training, communal unrest, and radicalisation activities across India.

At the core of this conspiracy is MK Faizy, the National President of SDPI and a member of PFI’s National Executive Council, identified by the ED as the mastermind behind the financial operations. 

Faizy allegedly mobilised funds both domestically and internationally, with significant contributions originating from Gulf nations such as Qatar and the UAE. He personally managed illicit funds, including ₹15.4 lakh routed through HDFC Bank accounts disguised as legitimate political income, which were then redirected to finance violent riots, murder plots, and radical training camps.

The financial web extended through key associates such as Wahidur Rahman, who managed field operations and cash channels, and Rauf Sherif, head of the Campus Front of India (CFI), who played a pivotal role in channelling foreign funds via operatives like Shafeeque Payeth based in Doha. Other figures, including Ashraf MK and Abdul Razak, were instrumental in laundering illicit funds into real estate, while SDPI’s state units acted as regional storage and laundering points.

The investigation also exposed the direct involvement of SDPI operatives Rasheed and Kunju in executing violent, radical activities funded by these illicit channels. The ED’s probe revealed that SDPI, registered as a political party, functioned as a front for PFI, allowing the banned outfit to continue its anti-national operations under the guise of political and social activism.

Documentary evidence confirmed fund transfers from PFI to SDPI, with proceeds of crime identified in multiple states and across numerous bank accounts.

In response, the ED has taken decisive action by freezing accounts, seizing properties worth over ₹61 crore, and arresting key leaders, including Faizy and Wahidur Rahman. The agency has conducted nationwide searches at SDPI and PFI-linked premises and is preparing to share its findings with the Election Commission of India, potentially seeking a ban on SDPI. The investigation is ongoing, with further arrests and seizures expected. The ED is also considering international cooperation to pursue operatives based in foreign territories, especially in the Gulf, which have emerged as critical nodes in this illicit funding network.

This case highlights the existence of a well-organized, transnational conspiracy leveraging political and civil liberties infrastructure to fund terrorism, radicalisation, and destabilising activities within India, underlining the ED’s commitment to dismantling such networks.

Based On A News18 Report