ED arrests PFI youth wing's national secretary; Rauf linked to Hathras, Delhi riots

On Saturday, a dramatic arrest of Rauf Sheriff the national secretary of Campus Front of India (CFI) at Thiruvananthapuram Airport has opened a can of worms on how these radical groups function to disturb communal harmony in the country. 

Republic TV accessed the remand petition of Rauf Sherif and the document exposed in detail a grand nexus between Popular Front of India, its youth wing Campus Front of India and detailed the flow of finance for many activities including creating a disturbance at Hathras and role Delhi riots. It also detailed the financial transactions between various members of these organisations and has even called out the lies of Kerala Union of Working Journalist (KUWJ) Delhi secretary and journalist Siddhique Kappan.

Rauf Sherif Bank Account had 2.2 crores, 31 lakhs came from abroad

The ED investigation found Rauf was maintaining 3 bank account in ICICI, Federal and Axis Banks. The ICICI Bank had a total credit/debit of 1.35 crore while Federal Bank account had 67 lakhs and Axis Bank had 20 lakhs transaction. What made ED suspicious in the account was a foreign remittance of Rs 29,18,511 from two individuals named Naufal Shereef and Ramiz Ali Prabath. This money was credited into Rau's account during April-June 2020 citing the reason as 'payment to hotels by nationals of all FATF compliant countries/NRIs for their stay'. The suspicion arose because during the covid pandemic hotels were not operational in India. Rauf account also raised suspicion for buying land and vehicle. Additionally, Rauf through the Federal Bank account made outward remittance to Doha to the tune of 19.7 lakhs. 

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PFI activist travelling to Hathras questioned

The ED which has been tracking PFI funding since 2018 took permission from Mathura Court to question PFI members— Ateequr Rahman, Siddhique Kappan, Masood Ahmad and Aalam— who were slapped with UAPA, while they were on the way to Hathras. The probe team traced that their funding was from Rauf

As per them, Rauf financed Ateequr Rahman, the national treasurer of Campus Front to go to Hathras. After transferring the money, Ateequr along with another CFI activist Masood Ahmad was to set to Hathras when Rauf called and informed to also take journalist Siddhique Kappan along. ED in its statements establishes that Kappan was working for a daily Tejus (now defunct), a mouthpiece of PFI, based in Kerala.

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ED caught lies of Siddhique Kappan

During questioning, ED nailed the lies of Siddhique Kappan that he didnt know Ateequr Rahman and Aalam at all and he merely took a lift from them to go to Hathras. But the statement of Ateequr Rahman was contradictory. He revealed that he knew Siddhique for the last 1 year through a common friend. What also exposed his lie was Masood statement that he came to know Ateequr through Kappan. After questioning the four ED established that the travel to Hathras by the four was with ulterior motives to disturb social harmony. 

READ | PFI Student Wing Member Arrested In Kerala

Masood and Delhi riots connection

ED found financial transaction between Masood and Ilyas, general secretary of Delhi unit of Popular Fund of India. Masood and Ilyas were under the agencies scanner as their suspected the duo to have played a key role in Northeast Delhi riots in Feb 2020. 

Rauf evaded three summons, planned to flee country

The role of financing operations for PFI and questionable bank transaction led ED to issue a summons to Rauf. Three times he evaded it citing Covid, quarantine and physical illness. After Rauf failed to appear on the last summons issued to him in November, they got inputs that Rauf may flee the country. Following the submission that Rauf was not cooperating with the investigation, the court remanded him for 14 days. 

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