ED raids SDPI offices in Delhi, Jaipur after party chief’s arrest

Just days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) national president MK Faizy on March 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, the agency conducted searches at multiple locations across the country on Thursday.

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The SDPI is a political front of banned terror outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).

The ED raided SDPI’s national headquarters in New Delhi, along with state offices in Thiruvananthapuram and Malappuram (Kerala), Nandyal (Andhra Pradesh), Thane (Maharashtra), Pakur (Jharkhand), as well as locations in Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Jaipur.

Faizy had been arrested by ED on money laundering charge in connection with the case against banned terror outfit PFI.

On March 4, he was produced before a special court in Delhi that sent him to six-day ED custody.

After recording his statements in January 2024, the agency had summoned Faizy 12 times from March 2024 till February 2025. However, he had not joined the investigation, as alleged.

According to the agency, SDPI is a “political front” of PFI and Faizy, who remained a member of PFI till 2009 and joined SDPI as general secretary the same year, was the national president of SDPI since 2018.

As the national president, Faizy exercised authority and control over the activities of SDPI, which is a recipient, beneficiary, and user of proceeds of crime i.e. funds raised by PFI within and outside India as a part of larger criminal conspiracy, knowing fully well that PFI is engaged in the fund-raising activities as a part of a deep-rooted criminal conspiracy to raise and use such funds in various unlawful violent and terrorist activities in India,” the agency said.

In this regard, the alleged proceeds of crime quantified by the ED till date is Rs 4.07 crore. The probe against PFI and others is based on two cases registered by the National Investigation Agency, besides the First Information Reports instituted by the other law enforcement agencies.

As alleged, the PFI office-bearers, members, and cadre raised/collected funds from India and abroad through banking or “hawala” channels, as part of a conspiracy to commit or finance terror activities across the country. During searches in December 2020, the agency seized evidence purportedly establishing that the now-banned outfit used to control, fund, and supervise the activities of SDPI.