LIVE UPDATES: NIA , ED, ATS Raids on PFI; terror search operation latest news: It is a BIG ACTION by PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah against terrorists and people supporting terrorists. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday morning launched a massive nationwide search operation against groups, including PFI, and individuals allegedly supporting terrorists, officials said. In the "largest ever investigation till date", the searches are taking place at the premises of those allegedly involved in terror funding, organising training camps, and radicalising people to join proscribed organisations, they said. "The raids are taking place at the homes of national, state and local leaders of PFI. The state committee office is also being raided. Here are all the LIVE UPDATES on NIA , ED, ATS Raids on PFI, terror search operation and action against people supporting terrorists:-

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-The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is conducting nationwide raids at the offices of extremist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI), has taken senior leaders of the organisation into custody.

-The accused include PFI`s Dindigul Zonal Secretary, Yassar Arafat (28); Cuddalore District Secretary, Fayaz Ahmad (36), and the organisation`s National Executive member, A.S. Ismail from Coimbatore.

-Sources in the NIA told IANS that more people are in custody but refused to share the details.

-The premier investigating agency has arrested 106 people across the country after raids conducted in 11 states across the country at the office premises of the PFI and the residences of its leaders.

-The accused will be brought to the NIA Tamil Nadu head office in Chennai and conduct medical tests and will be produced before the court.

-It is not known whether the accused will be charged with The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act or other sections of the IPC.

-NIA sources told IANS that some of the PFI leaders may be taken to the national headquarters of the agency in New Delhi.

-The raids were conducted early Thursday morning with the support of the Central Police Force personnel without informing the respective state police units.

-Heavy police protection is provided at the NIA Tamil Nadu head office in Chennai as the PFI has announced a protest march towards the office.

-According to official information, the raids were following the inputs the NIA received on the alleged terror funding by the PFI as well as the list prepared by the cadres and local leaders of the organisation to eliminate Hindu group activists.

-The raid conducted after the murder of RSS leader Sreenivasan at Palakkad has given the NIA certain details regarding the modus operandi of the PFI.

-The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken into custody Popular Front of India (PFI) national executive committee member A.S. Ismail during a raid at his residence in Coimbatore on Thursday.

-The action against Ismail was part of the ongoing raid being carried out in 11 states across the country since early morning, said sources.

-The NIA sleuths took Ismail in custody at Karumbakudi in Coimbatore. PFI cadres staged a protest outside his residence, and he was taken to an unknown destination.

-It is to be noted that this is the largest raid being carried out across the country against the Popular Front of India.

-It is learned that the All India President of the Popular Front of India, O.M.A Salam, and its National General Secretary, Elamaram Kareem have been taken into custody in Kozhikode, North Kerala.

-The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was giving the necessary security to the NIA sleuths during the raids.

-A source in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Chennai told IANS that the raids were being undertaken as part of the national-level raids against the organisation.

-Sources also told IANS that after the murder of the RSS leader, Sreenivasan at Palakkad in Kerala, the police had seized some incriminating documents, including about the PFI conducting training to cadres and preparing list of RSS workers and leaders to be eliminated.

-The Popular Front of India (PFI) office in the city was seized and sealed on Thursday morning by National Investigation Agency (NIA).

-The development comes as part of the nationwide action against PFI members being conducted by the NIA and ED.

-Descending upon the PFI office in Chandrayanagutta locality of the capital city, NIA personnel conducted searches of the premises. Computer hard disks, pen drives, and documents were reportedly seized during the operations. The office was later sealed by the NIA officials.

-Apart from Chandrayanagutta, the NIA is conducting raids in other parts of the city such as LB Nagar and Autonagar. Raids were conducted in Karimnagar city also.

-Apart from making inquiries about past members of PFI, the NIA is also on the lookout for PFI members who are on the run.

-This morning, the NIA and Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted joint raids at PFI offices, and homes of PFI members across ten states of the country.

-The operations by the NIA in Telangana come barely a few days after it had conducted search operations in the state.

- Raids on locations related to Popular Front of India (PFI) are being carried out in eight places in Uttar Pradesh.

-Mohammad Waseem, resident of Indira Nagar in Lucknow, has been taken away by the NIA sleuths, according to official sources.

-Waseem runs a tailoring shop and digital documents were recovered from his possession during the raid.

-NIA has also raided locations in Varanasi, Barabanki and Bahraich.

-In Varanasi, the central agency raided places in Jaitpura and Adampur and two persons were taken into custody.

-In Bahraich, one Nadeem, said to be the treasurer of PFI, was also detained.

-The local police in these districts feigned complete ignorance about the raids.

-Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held a meeting of top officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and is believed to have discussed the searches at premises linked to the Popular Front of India and action against terror suspects, officials said.

-National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA) Dinkar Gupta were among the top officials who attended the high-level meeting.

-Shah is said to have took stock of the action taken against the terror suspects and activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) across the country, an official said.

-In near simultaneous raids across the length and breadth of the country, a multi-agency operation spearheaded by the NIA on Thursday led to the arrest of 106 activists of the PFI in 11 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.

-The maximum number of arrests were made in Kerala (22) followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka (20 each), Tamil Nadu (10), Assam (9), Uttar Pradesh (8), Andhra Pradesh (5), Madhya Pradesh (4), Puducherry and Delhi (3 each) and Rajasthan (2).

-According to the officials, the arrests were made during the raids which have been termed as the "largest-ever investigation process till date".

- The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad on Thursday arrested 20 activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) from the state during a multi-agency operation for allegedly indulging in unlawful activities promoting enmity among communities and waging a war against the country, an official said.

-In near simultaneous raids across the length and breadth of the country, a multi-agency operation spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday led to the arrest of 106 PFI activists in 11 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country, officials said.

- According to the officials, the arrests were made during the raids which have been termed as the "largest-ever investigation process till date".

-In Maharashtra, raids were conducted by various ATS teams in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Aurangabad, Pune, Kolhapur, Beed, Parbhani, Nanded, Malegaon (in Nashik district) and Jalgaon, an official said.

-The ATS teams arrested at least 20 people from various places and seized important documents, he said.

-The ATS has registered four offences in Mumbai, Nashik, Aurangabad and Nanded under various Indian Penal Code Sections including 153-A (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 121A (conspiring to commit certain offences against the State) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), and provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), he said.

-The ATS officials were also making enquiries with some people in connection with these cases, he said.

-The PFI was formed in 2006 in Kerala and is headquartered in Delhi.

- It claims to strive for a neo-social movement ostensibly for the empowerment of marginalised sections of India. It is, however, often accused by law enforcement agencies of promoting radical Islam.

-The National Investigation Agency and the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday carried out nationwide raids against terror funding suspects and detained nearly 100 PFI activists for allegedly supporting terrorists, officials said.

-The raids, taking place mainly in South India, was termed by the NIA as the "largest ever" investigation process "till date". The NIA said the searches are taking place at the premises of people allegedly involved in terror funding, organising training camps, and radicalising people to join proscribed organisations.

-According to the officials, nearly 100 activists, including the top leaders of the People's Front of India (PFI), have been detained so far in the raids which are taking place in 10 states.

-The PFI, in a statement, said the "raids are taking place at the homes of its national, state and local leaders. The state committee office is also being raided".