EXCLUSIVE: ED summons PFI top-brass a day after Republic's newsbreak; details here

In a massive development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned the top leadership of Popular Front of India (PFI) on Tuesday. The chairman of PFI and its related entity Rehab India Foundation- E Aboobacker have been asked to join the probe on Wednesday. Top sources within the agency have confirmed to Republic TV that other office bearers of PFI and Rehab India Foundation have been called in for further questioning.

Apart from the already registered money laundering case, the ED is also probing the funds received by the outfit which they suspect was used to fuel the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in states like Uttar Pradesh. This development comes a day after Republic TV brought to the public domain sensational findings of the agency which raises some serious questions about the outfit which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Republic TV's expose

On Monday, Republic TV exposed how the outfit was allegedly behind the violent anti-CAA protests in Uttar Pradesh. The ED has done scrutiny of 15 bank accounts of PFI and Rehab India Foundation. The agency found that around Rs 1.04 crore was deposited in 15 bank accounts of PFI – 10 of PFI and 5 of Rehab India Foundation -- between December 12, 2019, and January 6, 2020. In order to avoid the gaze of investigating agencies, the deposit amount was always below Rs 50,000 – it would vary from Rs 5,000 to Rs 49,000. This way they avoided disclosing the identity of the depositor. Rs 1.34 crore was withdrawn from these bank accounts during the same period.

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The money was either withdrawn from an ATM or through NEFT / IMPS using a mobile phone. Barring a few cheque payments, most transactions would take place either from an ATM or NEFT / IMPS. Scrutiny of the withdrawals between December 12, 2019, and January 6, 2020, reveals that withdrawals were made by transferring money of small amounts – varying from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 – on multiple occasions during a day to several individuals. On days like December 21, 2019, and December 12, 2019, more than 80 and 90 withdrawals were made from a single account.

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The direct correlation

Interestingly, money was withdrawn immediately before the date of protest or during the day of the protest. According to the ED, the withdrawal of money from bank accounts of PFI and its related entities has a direct correlation with a violent demonstration against CAA. "The money trail has proved beyond doubt that PFI has mobilized the money to finance the cost of the demonstration against CAA," an ED official said.

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The outfit, however, maintains that they are being framed by the government and it is a deliberate attempt to malign them. They maintain that they have no role to play in the anti-CAA protests.

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