New Delhi, Oct 12 Days after the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested four alleged members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) from Mathura while they were going to Hathras, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will now question them in jail, sources said on Monday.
The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested four men from Mathura last Monday night while they were on their way to Hathras from Delhi. They were allegedly linked to the PFI and its associate outfit Campus Front of India (CFI).
The four have been identified as Atiq-ur Rehman of Muzaffarnagar, Masood Ahmed of Bahraich, Alam of Rampur and Siddique, a journalist from Kerala's Malappuram.
The UP Police also seized their mobile phones, laptop and some literature, which could have had an impact on the law and order situation.
An ED official requesting anonymity said that the financial probe agency has been investigating the role of the PFI for the last few years, including its involvement in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) stir last year and the northeast Delhi riots in February this year.
The official said that the agency will soon record their statements after visiting Mathura jail, where they have been lodged after their arrest.
The official said that as they have been booked by the UP Police under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they will enquire if there was any money laundering.
The official remained tightlipped if the agency will file a fresh case under the PMLA against them.
The official said that the agency will probe if the PFI provided funding or logistic support to those who indulged in hooliganism after the death of the 19-year-old Hathras Dalit girl.
The girl died on September 29 at a government hospital in Delhi, where she was admitted for treatment.
Earlier, the Yogi Adityanath-led government had blamed the PFI for violent protests in the state against the citizen laws.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has referred to "recent incidents" and said "anarchist elements" are trying to trigger communal and caste violence in the state after the Hathras incident.
( With inputs from IANS )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor