PFI raids: Court extends ATS custody of five accused till Oct 8

A court here on Monday extended till October 8 the ATS custody of five alleged members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) who were arrested during multi-agency raids conducted in Maharashtra.

The five accused were among 20 people apprehended in the state by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in multi-agency raids across the country spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on September 22.

The ATS produced the accused before the court of additional sessions judge A M Patil on Monday on the expiry of their previous remand, and sought their custody for eight more days.

However, after hearing the arguments of both sides, the court extended their remand by five days.

The accused have been booked on the charges of engaging in unlawful activities, promoting enmity among communities and waging a war against the country.

In a massive crackdown on the PFI, multi-agency teams had arrested 106 leaders and activists of the radical Islamic outfit in near-simultaneous raids in 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.

Maharashtra and Karnataka accounted for 20 arrests each, followed by Tamil Nadu with 10, Assam 9, Uttar Pradesh 8, Andhra Pradesh 5, Madhya Pradesh 4, three each in Puducherry and Delhi and two in Rajasthan.