nia-raids-30-places-in-punjab-haryana-rajasthan-mp-chandigarh-in-terrorist-gangster-nexus-probe

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) initiated searches at 30 locations spread across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chandigarh on Tuesday, as part of an ongoing investigation into the terrorist-gangster nexus case.

 

The raids, which commenced in the morning, involve multiple NIA teams working in close collaboration with state police forces. They targeted the premises of individuals suspected to be linked to the case, based on specific intelligence gathered from earlier interrogations of accused individuals.

 

"NIA is conducting extensive searches at 30 locations across 4 States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and UT of Chandigarh in the Terrorist-Gangster nexus case," stated the NIA.

 

Earlier, on January 6, the agency took significant steps toward dismantling the terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler nexus by attaching four properties owned by members of the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's organized terror-crime syndicate.

 

These properties, comprising three immovable and one movable asset, were seized in coordinated operations by NIA teams in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

 

NIA identified these properties as 'proceeds of terrorism,' utilized for planning terror activities and committing serious crimes.

 

The NIA had filed a case against the organized crime syndicate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates under the UA(P)A in August 2022.

 

Their investigations unveiled the extensive criminal networks established by the gang across multiple states in India. These networks were implicated in various high-profile crimes, including the murders of prominent Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and religious and social leaders like Pardeep Kumar, alongside widespread extortion from businesses and professionals.

 

Furthermore, NIA's investigations disclosed that many of these terror plots were orchestrated from abroad, including from Pakistan and Canada, or by leaders of organized terror groups operating from prisons within India.

 

To disrupt and dismantle such terror and mafia networks and their support systems, the NIA has implemented several targeted strategies in recent months, including the attachment and seizure of properties derived from 'proceeds of terrorism.'