National Investigation Agency arrests absconding gangster

NIA arrested Yudhvir Singh, an aide of Lawrence Bishnoi, for smuggling weapons across the border for gangsters and criminals to carry out terrorist activities.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested an aide of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi for his involvement in smuggling weapons from across the border for dreaded criminals and gangsters in various parts of the country.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested an aide of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi for his involvement in smuggling weapons from across the border for dreaded criminals and gangsters in various parts of the country.

The accused, Yudhvir Singh, alias Sadhu, of Fatehabad in Haryana, who was on the run, was arrested in a case pertaining to a conspiracy hatched by members of criminals, based within the country and abroad, to raise funds and recruit youths to carry out terrorist activities in Delhi and other parts of the country.

A spokesman of the NIA said the accused used to harbour associates of criminal gang members and tasked them with committing various kinds of crimes, including murder and extortion, on the directions of Lawrence Bishnoi and syndicate members.

“The NIA had earlier chargesheeted 14 accused on March 24 this year under various sections of IPC, Arms Act and UA(P) Act in the case in which Yudhvir has been arrested. The NIA probes have so far revealed that the conspiracies were being hatched in jails of different states and were being executed by an organised network of operatives based abroad. Further investigations into these cases are on as part of the NIA’s efforts to destroy the growing nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers, and to dismantle their funding and infrastructure,” said the spokesman.

On May 17, the NIA along with the Punjab and Haryana police conducted searches at 324 locations across nine states and Union territories leading to the arrest of three persons and recovery of a cache of arms and ammunition besides huge amounts of cash.

The NIA has launched operations following the registration of three cases since August 2022 pertaining to conspiracies related to targeted killings, terror funding of pro-Khalistan outfits and extortion.

Notable among these cases are the sensational killing of Maharashtra builder Sanjay Biyani and international Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambian in Punjab last year.