Pattambi: C A Rauf, former state secretary of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), has been nabbed from Pattambi.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team surrounded his house at Karimbully in Pattambi late on Thursday night and nabbed Rauf.
After recording his arrest, the NIA team took Rauf to Kochi for questioning.
Following the nationwide raids conducted at the offices of PFI and the houses of their leaders last month, Rauf had been on the run.
The NIA had nabbed the main PFI leaders last month itself. Though widespread searches were conducted for Rauf, he could not be traced.
Rauf, who was reportedly hiding in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, returned to his house the other day. The NIA had been monitoring the houses of Rauf's relatives and friends for the past few days.
It is suspected that Rauf had made arrangements for the leaders of the banned outfit to go into hiding.
The NIA team had also received inputs that Rauf had been controlling the activities of the outfit even while in hiding.
After receiving information that Rauf was back at his house, the team from Kochi went to Pattambi on Thursday.
After recording the arrest, the team left for Kochi in the night itself. There are indications Rauf controlled day–to-day activities, including the protests, of the outfit. Rauf was also allegedly responsible for raising funds from abroad and providing legal assistance for workers.
The probe team suspects that Rauf had also instigated the widespread violence that was unleashed during the hartal called after the outfit was banned.
There were indications about Rauf's role in the political murders in which PFI workers were named as accused, but these had not led to his arrest till now.
The central government had banned the Popular Front of India and eight associated fronts.
After the surprise inspections carried out from September 22, the central government decided to ban the outfit. The ban has been imposed for five years under Sections 3 and 4 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).