ED Arrests Tamil Nadu Man in Ongoing PFI-SDPI Probe
The arrest took place on Thursday in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore district, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), official sources confirmed.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Wahidur Rahman Jainullabudeen from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, as part of its investigation into a money laundering case involving the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). The arrest took place on Thursday in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore district, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), official sources confirmed.
The ED conducted searches at Jainullabudeen’s residence before taking him into custody. He has been transported to Delhi and is slated to appear before a special PMLA court on Friday. The arrest follows a fresh wave of raids launched by the agency on Thursday across Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Kerala, targeting alleged financial irregularities linked to SDPI and PFI.
This development comes on the heels of earlier searches in the first week of March, which led to the arrest of SDPI national president M.K. Faizy. The ED has intensified its probe, claiming a deep nexus between SDPI and PFI. During Faizy’s remand hearing, the agency argued that PFI, banned by the Centre in September 2022 for alleged terrorist activities, used SDPI as its "political front" to further its agenda. Evidence cited includes overlapping membership, PFI’s role in founding SDPI, and shared resources between the two.
The PFI ban followed coordinated operations by the ED, National Investigation Agency (NIA), and state police forces. SDPI, established in 2009 and registered with the Election Commission, has denied these allegations, asserting its independence. However, the ED insists that PFI funded and controlled SDPI, channeling illicit funds through it.
