Another PFI Phulwari terror module case accused held

MOTIHARI: One Yakoob Khan was arrested on Wednesday in a joint operation by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Bihar Police and the East Champaran district police in connection with the Popular Front of India (PFI)'s Phulwarisharif terror module case.
East Champaran SP Kantesh Kumar Mishra said an NIA team took Yakoob into its custody following his arrest.
Yakoob was a key accused in the case and the NIA was searching for him. He was arrested from Uttar Govindara village under Chakiya police station area in East Champaran district. According to NIA sources, Yakoob is a resident of Bansghat in East Champaran.
He was considered to be the master trainer, who used to train new recruits of the PFI at Chakiya for the last two years. Yakoob used to train the new PFI members in lathi-wielding after installing PFI flag in the Chakiya Gandhi Maidan daily.
About a dozen complaints were lodged by several people against his training camp. Yakoob had allegedly put up controversial posters related to the demolition of Babari Masjid at Ayodhya on the walls of Gandhi Maidan and across the roads at Chakiya.
In 2022, the PFI terror module was busted with the arrest of a retired Jharkhand police officer for allegedly planning anti-national activities.
The NIA had filed two FIRs. While one was regarding a conspiracy hatched in Phulwarisharif area of Patna on July 11 last year to disturb the visit of PM Narendra Modi, the second one was lodged after the arrest of one Margub Ahmad Danish alias Tahir on July 14 that year for his alleged involvement in anti-national activities and radicalization of impressionable young men through social media groups.
Yakoob had been on the NIA radar ever since then. The NIA had inspected the Chakiya training ground of the PFI thrice between January and June this year.
Bihar Police claimed that Yakoob is the third of the six accused - about whom inputs were received from the NIA - arrested by them in the Phulwarisharif terror module case.
Earlier, the Bihar Police had arrested one Mumtaz Ansari from Tamil Nadu on June 20 this year in this case.
The ATS had also arrested Irshad Khan, the son of Naimuddin Ansari, from Mehsi police station area in East Champaran on March 17.