NIA detains several suspects, seizes weapons and ammunition in raids across 53 locations

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), on Wednesday (Sept 27), detained several people after a multi-state crackdown on the nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers at 53 locations across six states in India.

In these raids, other than Arsh Dalla, the gangsters that were under the NIA scanner were Lawrence Bishnoi, Sukha Duneke, Harry Maur, Narender alias Lali, Kala Jatheri, and Deepak Tinu.

The NIA seized pistols, ammunition, large numbers of digital devices and incriminating materials during the raids that spanned across six states of Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, said reports of news agency ANI.

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Some of the locations where raids were conducted included Amritsar, Moga, Fazilka, Ludhiana, Mohali, Faridkot, Barnala, Bhatinda, Ferozpur, SAS Nagar, Amritsar, and Jalandhar districts of Punjab; Rohtak, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Faridabad districts of Haryana; Sri Ganga Nagar, Jhunjhunu, Hanumangarh and Jodhpur districts of Rajasthan; Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh; Dehradun and Udhamsingh Nagar districts of Uttarakhand; besides South-east district of Delhi and NCR and Union Territory of Chandigarh.

This is the seventh in the series of such crackdowns launched by the NIA amid strained diplomatic ties between Ottawa and New Delhi over the death of Khalistan terror organisation leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Conspiracies hatched in jails

The NIA released a statement saying that the raids that were conducted on Wednesday, were aimed at dismantling the terror-gangster-drug smuggler nexus.

"These gangs are working with drug smugglers and terrorists based out of other countries, including Pakistan, UAE, Canada and Portugal."

It further said that its probes into the matter revealed that the conspiracies of targeted killings, and terror funding activities of pro-Khalistan outfits, were being hatched in prisons of different states and were being executed by an organised network of operatives based abroad.

Among such conspiracies, were the killing of Maharashtra builder Sanjay Biyani, mining trader Mehal Singh and international Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambia in Punjab last year, the anti-terror agency stated.

"Many of the criminals and gangsters, who were earlier leading gangs in the country, have fled abroad in recent years and are now carrying out their terror and violence-related activities from there," the NIA stated

"These criminals have been engaged in planning and commissioning serious crimes, including contract and revenge killings, in association with criminals lodged in jails across India. These groups have been carrying out targeted killings and raising funds for attacks and other nefarious activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons, hawala and extortions," the agency added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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