In a significant move to dismantle the web of terrorism, organized crime, and drug smuggling, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at 32 locations in Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab on Thursday. Multiple teams of the anti-terror agency collaborated closely with state police forces in conducting these raids, targeting members associated with the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s organized terror-crime syndicate.
The operations extended to places like Jhajjar and Sonipat in Haryana. These searches come on the heels of NIA’s action on January 6, where four properties owned by Lawrence Bishnoi were attached. Of these, three were immovable, and one was movable, seized under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967.
NIA’s investigations revealed that these properties were considered ‘proceeds of terrorism,’ used for plotting terror conspiracies and carrying out serious crimes. The attached properties include a flat in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, owned by Vikas Singh, identified as a harborer of the terror gang. Additionally, two properties in Fazilka, Punjab, owned by accused Dalip Kumar, were also seized.
The list of properties further includes a Fortuner car registered in the name of Joginder Singh from Haryana. According to NIA findings, Joginder Singh, the father of gangster Kala Rana, facilitated the transportation of arms and ammunition for terrorist acts by allowing the use of his vehicle.
Vikas Singh, revealed as an associate of Lawrence Bishnoi, allegedly harbored terrorists involved in a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on Punjab Police Headquarters. The property linked to Dalip Kumar was utilized as a shelter and warehouse for storing weapons and harboring terrorist gang members, according to NIA reports.
The NIA had initiated a case against the organized crime syndicate of Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in August 2022. The agency’s investigations uncovered the widespread criminal networks of the gang, involved in sensational crimes, including the murders of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and religious and social leaders.
Further findings by the NIA point to the international dimension of these terror conspiracies, with connections to countries like Pakistan and Canada. Leaders of organized terror syndicates operating from prisons across Bharat were also identified as masterminds behind these criminal activities.
As part of their ongoing efforts to disrupt and dismantle such terror and mafia networks, the NIA has adopted targeted strategies, including the attachment and seizure of properties derived from the ‘proceeds of terrorism.’
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