According to sources, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at many places across northern India early Tuesday in an ongoing case targeting gangs and their ties to terror groups.
The operations were carried out across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, and the National Capital Region (NCR) in order to dismantle and disrupt an emerging network of terrorists, criminals, drug smugglers, and traffickers located in India and overseas. Separate NIA teams, in collaboration with state police forces, performed these raids at the gangsters’ locations at the same time, according to a source close to the situation.
On September 12, the NIA conducted similar searches at 50 locations across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, and the National Capital Region.
The NIA crackdown came after the anti-terror agency launched an inquiry into this link following the re-registration of two cases previously registered by Delhi Police on August 26 of this year. A handful of the most desperate gang bosses and their associates in India and overseas who are leading and carrying out such terror and criminal acts have been discovered and arrested.
“The recent sensational crimes and extortion calls by criminal syndicates and gangsters to businessmen, professionals including doctors etc., had created a widespread scare among the people,” the NIA had said earlier.
“These gangs were using cyber-space to publicise these crimes to create terror among the public at large.”
The NIA investigations also revealed that such criminal acts were not isolated local incidents but there was a deep-rooted conspiracy amongst terrorists, gangsters and drug smuggling cartels and networks, who were operating from both within and outside the country.
“Many gang leaders and members had fled from India and were now operating from foreign countries, including Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia and Australia,” said the NIA when it first time carried out a mega raid against such gangs.
Ongoing NIA investigations, like as the killing of Shaurya Chakra Awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh in Punjab, have revealed that most of these schemes were plotted inside different state jails and were carried out by an organised network of agents headquartered abroad, according to the NIA.
“Preliminary Investigations have revealed that these gangs were carrying out targeted killings, including those of prominent people, to terrorise the general public to extort money for running and promoting their criminal syndicates and activities. These gangs were also raising funds to carry out such criminal activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons.”
