NIA raids on PFI: How Intelligence Bureau, NSA planned crackdown under Operation Octopus

The largest-ever crackdown that was conducted against the Popular Front of India (PFI) members spread across 15 states was code-named ‘Operation Octopus’.During the operation Octopus, the intelligence agencies, especially the Intelligence Bureau, played a very very crucial role in bringing in details of operations and operatives of the PFI.

When the crackdown was planned against the Islamic outfit, the IB had the majority of the details ready with it as its sleuths had been working on it for many years with profiles of almost all operatives ready with the agency, top government sources told India Today TV.

HOW IB, NSA PLANNED CRACKDOWN

The remaining details were also brought in within a few days and enabled the National Security Advisor (NSA) to go ahead with Operation octopus with its tentacles spread over 11 states. The IB ensured that the PFI operatives didn’t get any tip off about the storm coming towards them and caught over 110 of them in raids.

On September 2, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was commissioning the INS Vikrant in Kochi, his security team led by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was working to uproot the entire network of the Popular Front of India in Kerala. NSA Doval held meetings with the police officials of Kerala to act against the PFI operatives during his visit to Kochi for the aircraft carrier commissioning. From Kerala, the NSA moved to Mumbai where he lived in the Governor’s house and held meetings with the security officials away from the limelight.

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After making arrangements with the security agencies similar in secrecy, like the one, in abrogation of article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the planning was done 3-4 months in advance, including meetings with religious Islamic leaders.

On D-Day, midnight operations were launched where 200 NIA officers were involved and a mega-crackdown on PFI terror links. Working closely on the direction of Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor was the main planner and executioner of this high-profile operation.

As per the directives of the Home Minister, the entire operation was kept hidden under cover, like the way it was done during the abrogation of article 370 or the one while conducting Uri surgical strikes. The security agencies had kept a close watch on the activities of all their targets and launched the operation to nab them simultaneously.

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NIA CRACKDOWN ON PFI

Over 106 PFI members were arrested in multiple raids carried out by a joint team of NIA, ED & state police across 11 states on September 22.

Multi-agency teams spearheaded by the NIA had arrested 106 functionaries of the PFI on Thursday in near simultaneous raids at 93 locations in 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.

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