Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 20: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at two locations in Kerala—Palakkad and Kottayam—on Thursday as part of a nationwide crackdown on the Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) over alleged money laundering activities.

In Palakkad, ED officials searched the residence of Kabeer, a diaspora businessman, while in Kottayam, they raided the home of Nishad, an SDPI activist and former office-bearer of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI). Kabeer was not present during the raid, but his family members were questioned as officials investigated financial transactions linked to the case.

These raids follow similar searches on March 6 in three districts of Kerala and come after the recent arrest of SDPI National President M.K. Faizy. Faizy was taken into custody at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on March 3 and later remanded for interrogation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Investigators suspect that SDPI received ?4.07 crore from the PFI through illegal hawala channels, allegedly funneling the funds to its units across the country. The SDPI, founded in 2009, has long denied direct links with the PFI, which was banned in 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for its alleged anti-national activities.

Faizy, once a member of the PFI before joining SDPI, climbed the ranks to become its national president. His arrest, along with the latest ED raids, has intensified scrutiny over SDPI’s financial dealings and its alleged links to the banned outfit.