As per a report handed over to the Kerala State Police Chief by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) over 873 officers of the state police are said to have links with the now banned organisation Popular front of India.

As reported by Manorama, the officials in the list include personnel belonging to the special branch, law and order and intelligence wings as well as those who were in-charge of the office works of top Kerala police officers.

Also, in the radar are officials in the sub-inspector and station head officer ranks and the primary charge against them is that they leaked vital information including the moves of the state police, especially during the raids.

Reportedly the central agency is probing the financial dealings of these officers.

Meanwhile, as per a Hindustan Times report, Karnataka police are also probing the alleged involvement of two former police officers in training the PFI cadre. This information, was revealed during the interrogation of the PFI cadre in custody.

As per an officer quoted by the report, the training that took place in Mangaluru few years ago on ‘how to evade investigating agencies, how to handle police interrogations and what should they do during the court hearing etc,’ had two former police officers, one of whom is a former IPS officer.

The Kerala police though have refuted the claims of the NIA report. In a tweet in Malayalam, the state police said, “The news that NIA has handed over a report to the state police chief that 873 personnel of the Kerala Police have links with the banned outfit PFI is baseless.”

Also Read: What The Communists In Kerala Said About PFI Ban