NIA raids 30 locations across 5 states in terrorist-gangster nexus probe

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has conducted searches at 30 locations across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chandigarh in connection with its ongoing probe into a terrorist-gangster nexus case. The raids, which began on Tuesday morning, involved multiple NIA teams working closely with state police forces.

Extensive Search Operation
The searches were carried out at the premises of suspects linked to the case based on specific inputs gathered during earlier interrogations of accused individuals. The NIA stated, "NIA is carrying out extensive searches at 30 locations across 4 States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and UT of Chandigarh in Terrorist-Gangster nexus case."


Disruption of Terrorist-Gangster-Drug Smuggler Nexus
Earlier this year, on January 6, the NIA took a significant step towards disrupting the terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler nexus in the country. The agency attached four properties owned by members of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's organized terror-crime syndicate. Three of these properties were immovable, while one was movable. The properties were attached in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The NIA identified these properties as 'proceeds of terrorism', used for planning terror activities and committing serious crimes.

The NIA had registered a case against the organized crime syndicate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in August 2022. The agency's investigations revealed that the gang had established mafia-style criminal networks in several states, involved in various sensational crimes, including the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, religious and social leaders like Pardeep Kumar, and large-scale extortions from businessmen and professionals.

International Links
Further investigations by the NIA uncovered that many of these terror conspiracies were orchestrated from abroad, including from Pakistan and Canada, or by leaders of organized terror syndicates operating from prisons across India.

Disruption Efforts
In its efforts to disrupt and dismantle such terror and mafia networks and their support infrastructure, the NIA has adopted several targeted strategies in recent months. These include the attachment and seizure of properties derived from 'proceeds of terrorism'.