India's anti-terror agency NIA achieved 95 pc conviction rate in 2023
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
India's anti-terror agency declared a significant breakthrough in identifying 43 Khalistan supporters linked to acts of vandalism against Indian high commissions in the UK, US, and Canada. The National Investigative Agency (NIA) attributed its success to an innovative approach to crowd-sourcing information.
In its comprehensive year-end review for 2023, the agency said it conducted more than 50 raids and searches.
It examined 80 individuals in India suspected of involvement in the conspiracy behind overseas attacks on Indian interests. In total, more than 1,000 raids were conducted.
As part of its achievements in 2023, the NIA boasted a remarkable conviction rate of 94.7 per cent.
With 625 arrests and the attachment of 240 assets valued at approximately ₹56 crore (about $7 million), the NIAcontinued to combatacts of terrorism, gang activities, drug smuggling, human trafficking and other criminal operations that pose threats to India's national interests.
Also read |India: NIA scaled up crackdown on terror networks in 2023, conducted over 1000 raid
The NIA's operations saw a 28 per cent rise in arrests, reaching 625 compared to 490 in the previous year, said the annual review.
On terrorism, while 65 accused were arrested this year for links to Islamic State,114 were arrested for jihadi terror cases, 45 in human trafficking cases, 28 for terrorist and organised criminal activity, and 76 in Left-wing Extremism-related (LWE) cases.
The number of people chargesheeted and convicted in NIA cases stood at 513 and 74 respectively, as against 459 and 79 in 2022.
The NIA managed to track down and arrest 47 accused in 2023, 14 more than last year.
Also, arrests were made upon deportation and extradition, including those of Amritpal Singh alias Ammy, Amrik Singh, Manpreet Singh alias Peeta, and Mandeep Singh who was deported from the Philippines. Most of these are Khalistan supporters.
Vikram Brar, a Punjabi gangster,was arrested upon deportation from the United Arab Emirates.
What does it mean?
The NIA report shows a considerable escalation in investigations throughout 2023.
The focus on investigations of attacks on Indian missions in the United States and Canada shows the way the corresponding diplomatic showdown between India and these countries, especially in the second half of 2023.