Cracking down on the alleged nexus between gangsters, drug traffickers and terrorist groups operating in foreign nations including Canada and Pakistan, the National Investigation Agency on Wednesday undertook searches at 122 locations across six states in the country.
The NIA raids, which began at 4 AM on Wednesday, include suspected houses in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh. The raids were carried out by a team of about a dozen officials.
#WATCH | NIA is conducting searches at more than 100 locations in six states-Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP, Uttarakhand and MP in terror-narcotics smugglers-gangsters nexus cases.
(Visuals from Punjab's Bathinda) pic.twitter.com/mFgisHNcGo— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2023
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“Searches are on in connection with three cases registered by NIA. The raids and searches are part of the crackdown against organised criminal syndicates and networks, top gangsters, and their criminal and business associates based in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra,” The Indian Express quoted an official as saying.
The searches come as part of the NIA’s probe aimed at dismantling terror networks, their funding and support infrastructure. The NIA’s action today comes months after it raided the houses of people suspected to be in contact with gangsters in Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh. The agency has already filed two chargesheets in three cases.
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As per the NIA’s chargesheet, several criminal gangs active in North India are now being operated from Dubai, and pro-Khalistan organisations are using their networks for executing unlawful activities on the lines similar to that of the underworld in the 1990s.
“Fugitives, such as Arsh Dala and Gaurav Patial, who are based in foreign countries, are in touch with the pro-Khalistan elements lodged in Indian jails and other countries to carry out targeted killings, extortion and terror acts. It has also come to light that jails have been the place where the crime-terror nexus firmed up,” the NIA charge sheet says.
In August 2022, the NIA had registered three cases against Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh alias Landa, Pakistan-based gangster Harvinder Singh Rinda, and US-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, among others for supporting the Khalistan movement.
The agency also filed two cases against gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, and Vikram Brar, as well as their rivals Davinder Bambiha, Kaushal Chaudhary, Neeraj Bawana, Sunil alias Tillu Tajpuriya, Dilpreet, and Sukhpreet alias Budha.
(With agency inputs)
