Kishanganj/Patna: Security agencies have arrested Mehboob Alam Nadvi, the former Bihar chief of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), from Haleem Chowk in Kishanganj in a joint operation involving central agencies and Bihar Police. His arrest comes just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Purnia.
According to officials, Nadvi fled to Oman in 2022 after the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) unearthed a terror training camp in Phulwari Sharif, Patna. For nearly two years he is said to have stayed in areas linked to ISIS and Boko Haram before returning to Bihar in March 2025. Since then, he had been hiding in Kishanganj, where he worked as a teacher in a private school.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided another of Nadvi’s hideouts in Mohuddinpur, Kishanganj, on Thursday and reportedly recovered several suspicious documents. Originally from Vanshitola village in Katihar’s Hasanganj block, Nadvi had been on the run for nearly three years.
Nadvi’s arrest has heightened scrutiny, with officials linking the timing — less than 100 hours before Modi’s rally in Purnia — to increased security concerns. NIA sources said his interrogation could reveal further details about terror networks operating in Bihar and beyond.
The Union Home Ministry banned PFI and its affiliates in 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after the Phulwari Sharif camp exposed plans to form a jihadi squad. The outfit was accused of spreading its influence across Bihar, particularly in the Seemanchal region bordering Nepal and Bangladesh.
Nadvi, 39, had led the PFI in Bihar during 2016–17 and was seen as a key figure in strengthening its base in Katihar and surrounding districts. Investigators believe he holds crucial information on the organisation’s operations, funding, and foreign links.
