New Delhi [India], March 4 (ANI): In a major disclosure, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced on Tuesday that the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), a political party, relied on the banned organization Popular Front of India (PFI) for its daily operations, policy decisions, and candidate selection for election campaigns.

The federal agency made the revelation a day after it arrested SDPI President Moideen Kutty K, alias MK Faizy, from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

ED, in a statement, said that the SDPI is a political front of PFI, and Faizy has been the National President of SDPI since 2018. Faizy, who was arrested on March 3, was remanded to six-day ED custody by a special court on Tuesday.

ED said it initiated an investigation against PFI and others under PMLA, 2002, on the basis of a First Information Report registered on August 7, 2013, by the National Investigation Agency's Kochi branch and another FIR by its Delhi branch on April 13, 2022, along with various FIRs registered by other Law Enforcement Agencies.

'Investigation revealed that the office bearers, members and cadres of Popular Front of India (PFI), were conspiring and raising/collecting funds from within India and abroad through banking channels, Hawala, donations for committing and financing terrorist acts across India,' said the ED.

During a search proceedings conducted on December 3, 2020 at various locations belonging to PFI and its office bearers, the ED said, numerous incriminating documents and digital evidence were recovered and seized, that establishes that 'PFI used to control, fund and supervise the activities of SDPI; that SDPI is a front of PFI having common members/cadres and leaders; that SDPI was dependent on PFI for its day-to-day functions, policy making, selecting candidates for election campaign, public programs, cadre mobilization and other related activities.'

ED said the searches led to the recovery of some document that provides insight into the true objectives of the PFI, describing it as an organization committed to advancing an Islamic movement in India by 'endorsing the principles of Jihad in all forms.'

'It positions itself internally as an Islamic movement and externally as a social movement. To achieve these goals, the PFI has established SDPI and several front organizations.

'A letter addressed to 'Faizy Sahab' (MK Faizy) was recovered during the searches conducted at Unity House, Kozhikode (PFI's Kerala State HQ) which mentions about 'Procedures of selecting candidates' for state assembly and parliamentary elections,' mentioned the ED in its statement.

ED said these documents reveal that 'PFI was directing SDPI on the process of selecting candidates for both Assembly and Parliamentary elections.'

'The letter, addressed to 'Faizy Sahab' lays out a detailed and structured framework for candidate selection, involving multiple levels of the organization,' said the ED.

Further, the agency said, there are several copies of minutes of meeting and handwritten documents revealing evidence of PFI funding elections contested by SDPI, approval by the National Executive Council (NEC) of PFI for SDPI to collect funds in Gulf countries, and PFI covering legal expenses for SDPI members accused in criminal cases registered by the police which have seized during the searches conducted at Unity House, Kozhikode (PFI's Kerala State HQ).

For example, as per the ED, a diary was seized that contains handwritten minutes of meetings of the State Executive Committee (SEC) of PFI dated March 16-17, 2019. These minutes reveal that PFI funded SDPI to the tune of Rs 3.75 crore for election-related purposes.

The expenses made by PFI for and on behalf of SDPI, as mentioned in the dairies and other documents seized during the searches, are not reflected in the bank accounts of PFI, it said. 'Such funds have been collected by PFI from foreign countries, mainly gulf countries, in furtherance of criminal conspiracy to raise funds to carry out violent and terrorist activities in India, and such funds have also been raised locally in India in the name of Ramadan Collection (RC).'

'As the National President, Faizy exercised authority and control over the activities of SDPI, which is a recipient, beneficiary and user of Proceeds of Crime i.e. funds raised by PFI within and outside India as a part of larger criminal conspiracy knowing fully well that PFI is engaged in the fund-raising activities as a part of a deep- rooted criminal conspiracy to raise and use such funds in various unlawful violent and terrorist activities in India,' said the ED.

The Proceeds of Crime quantified to date are Rs 4.07 crore, which includes funding of SDPI by PFI, which was made through suspicious, undisclosed, and unaccounted funds, as revealed during the investigation.

ED said Faizy was summoned under section 50 of PMLA, 2002 by this directorate multiple times and was given as many as 12 opportunities, but he didn't appear and evaded the investigation.

Hence, this Directorate filed a complaint against MK Faizy in a special court in Delhi on March 28, 2024, for his non-appearance before this Directorate. Further, the court issued a Bailable Warrant (BW) against Faizy vide order dated December 17, 2024.

Subsequently, upon the non-execution of BW, a Non-Bootable warrant (NBW) was issued via order dated January 17, 2025, against Faizy. The same could not be executed despite the best possible efforts made to trace Faizy's whereabouts.

ED attached movable and immovable properties amounting to Rs 61.72 crore in this case to date. Nine Prosecution Complaints (PCs) have been filed in this case before the Special Courts (PMLA).

Further, 26 office bearers, members and cadres of PFI have already been arrested in this case which include the Chairman, General Secretary, office bearers, and members of PFI and State Executive Councils (NEC & SEC) of the PFI, as well as Physical Education (PE) Coordinators and Trainers who were providing weapons training to the PFI members and cadres. (ANI)