- By Abhirupa Kundu
- Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday launched a major search operation against Khalistani terrorists and their associates at more than 51 locations in the country, officials said. The raids are being carried out in over four dozen locations in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and adjoining areas of Delhi-NCR. The operation is being conducted across the nation in the Khalistan-gangster nexus case linked with the gangs of Lawrence Bishnoi, Bambiha and Arshdeep Dalla.
The NIA detained a man identified as Jones alias Jora, a close aide of Dalla, from Punjab's Ferozepur, as raids are underway. They also reached the house of one Yadvinder alias Jashanpreet in Delhi. It was revealed that said that there were suspect transactions in his bank accounts made from abroad. He is being questioned currently.
"The search operation is underway at locations belonging to suspects associated with Khalistani terrorists, supporters, and related banned organisations," a source informed, reported news agency IANS.
The searches are being carried out at 13 locations in Rajasthan, 30 locations in Punjab, 10 in Haryana and two in Delhi, and in UP also.
The agency started early Wednesday morning and is currently underway. "The raids are at locations in six states in connection with the three cases related to gangsters-terrorist connection," an NIA official said under the condition of anonymity
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Among these three gangsters, Bishnoi is currentky lodged in jail while Arsh Dalla is currently located in Canada. As per NIA, the raids are still underway in three cases (RC 37/2022/NIA/DLI, RC 39/2022/NIA/DLI and RC 22/2023/NIA/DLI).
On August 20, 2022, the investigation agency had registered a suo motu case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in connection with terror activities of banned terrorist organisations in India.
NIA has been cracking down on individual terrorist outfits and those conspiring to smuggle terrorist hardware, such as arms, ammunition and explosives and raising funds for carrying out terrorist acts in India.
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The NIA had earlier issued details of 43 individuals associated with the terror gangster network having links to Canada and urged the public to share details of their properties and assets which can be seized by the Indian Government.
It also requested to provide assets or businesses owned by them in their own name or in the name of aides, relatives or family. In its post the NIA issued pictures of Lawrence Bishnoi, Jasdeep Singh, Kala Jatheri alias Sandeep, Virender Pratap alias Kala Rana and Joginder Singh along with their names, highlighting that many of these gangsters are based out of Canada.
