Chennai, May 9 (IANS): The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is conducting raids at several places in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, has detained five people.

According to sources in the premium investigating agency, the detained people were supporting a banned terrorist organisation.

Details of those detained are not available as the raids were still being conducted. However, former Madurai region president of the Popular Front of India (PFI) Mohammed Qasier is one among those detained.

Sources in the NIA told IANS that the searches are a follow-up of the September 2022 searches and raids in various offices and residences of the Islamist organisation PFI which was subsequently banned in the country.

Around 100 senior leaders of the PFI are still in judicial custody.

According to sources, the raids are being conducted due to some tip-offs on certain persons funding the former PFI activists. The agency is conducting raids to get information on the money trail.