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New Delhi: In a major crackdown against the network connecting terrorists, criminals, and drug smugglers within the country, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at 32 locations in Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab on Thursday, according to officials.
The raid began in the early hours of the morning and various teams of the anti-terrorism agency along with state police forces conducted the search.
Searches are being conducted by the agency at other places including Jhajjar and Sonipat in Haryana. The NIA team searched properties linked to members of the organized terror-crime syndicate of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. According to the NIA, these properties were recognised as ‘proceeds of terrorism,’ employed for planning terror conspiracies and carrying out significant criminal activities.
NIA confiscated properties
The searches unfolded a few days subsequent to the NIA attaching four properties owned by Lawrence Bishnoi on January 6. Among these properties, three were immovable, and one was movable. The NIA teams carried out a synchronized operation in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh to attach these properties, acting under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967.
The properties attached include Flat-77/4, Ashrey-1, Sulabh Awas Yojana, Sector-1, Gomti Nagar Extension, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, belonging to Vikas Singh, a harborer of the terror gang in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Two other properties, located in Fazilka, Punjab, were owned by accused Dalip Kumar, alias Bhola, alias Dalip Bishnoi. Additionally, a Fortuner car registered in the name of Joginder Singh from Yamunanagar in Haryana was recovered during the search operations.
Preliminary investigations unveiled that Vikas Singh is an associate of Lawrence Bishnoi and has harbored terrorists involved in a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on the Punjab Police Headquarters. Joginder Singh, identified as father of gangster Kala Rana, facilitated gang members by allowing them to use his vehicle for transporting arms and ammunition for promoting terrorist acts.
Dalip Kumar’s property was identified as a shelter and warehouse for storing weapons, as well as harboring members of the terrorist gang. The NIA had previously registered a case against Lawrence Bishnoi’s organized crime syndicate under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in August 2022.
NIA’s investigations unearthed the syndicate’s involvement in various sensational crimes, including the murders of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and religious leaders like Pardeep Kumar. The terror conspiracies were revealed to have been masterminded from abroad, with connections to Pakistan and Canada, as well as coordinated efforts by organized terror syndicate leaders operating from prisons across India.
As part of its ongoing efforts to disrupt and dismantle these terror and mafia networks and their support infrastructure, the NIA has adopted targeted strategies, including the attachment and seizure of properties derived from the ‘proceeds of terrorism.’ The latest raids are indicative of a continued commitment to curbing organized crime and ensuring national security.
