Terrorist-gangster nexus: NIA conducts raids in fresh crackdown

The raids at around 13 locations in six districts of the five states were carried out to unearth criminal activities, linkages and money trail of these gangsters, particularly jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the officials added.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday conducted raids at multiple locations in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in connection with its probe against “organised terror gangs” involved in large scale criminal activities such as targeted killings, extortion, kidnappings, smuggling of arms, narco-terrorism and turf wars in north India, officials familiar with the development said.

The criminals raided include gangster Kaushal Chaudhary, who is active in Gurugram-Rajasthan, Vishal Maan of Prahladpur-Delhi, Binny Gurjar of Sangroor, Ravi Rajgarh of Ludhiana and their associates. (AFP)

The raids at around 13 locations in six districts of the five states were carried out to unearth criminal activities, linkages and money trail of these gangsters, particularly jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the officials added.

A statement by NIA said that it conducted raids at total 13 locations in districts Fazilka, Taran Tarn, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Mohali in Punjab, Yamuna Nagar (Haryana) Sikar (Rajasthan) and outer north district of Delhi NCR to “dismantle and disrupt the emerging nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers/traffickers based in India and abroad”.

The criminals raided include gangster Kaushal Chaudhary, who is active in Gurugram-Rajasthan, Vishal Maan of Prahladpur-Delhi, Binny Gurjar of Sangroor, Ravi Rajgarh of Ludhiana and their associates.

“The recent sensational crimes and extortion calls by criminal syndicates and gangsters to businessmen, professionals, including doctors etc., had created a widespread scare among the people. These gangs were using cyber-space to publicise these crimes to create terror among the public at large,” NIA said.

“Investigations have also revealed that such criminal acts were not isolated local incidents but there was a deep rooted conspiracy among terrorists, gangsters and drug smuggling cartels and networks, who were operating from both within and outside the country. Many gang leaders and members had fled from India and are operating from foreign countries, including Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia, Australia etc. Most of these conspiracies were being hatched from inside jails of different states and were being executed by an organised network of operatives based abroad,” the NIA said.

The federal agency last week took custody of three gangsters – Bishnoi, believed to be behind the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala on May 29, Sunil Baliyan alias Tillu Tajpuria and Naveen Dabas – and interrogated them over their purported international links, associates, hideouts and source of funding.

“Investigations revealed that a terrorist, gangster and drug smugglers syndicate led by Lawrence Bishnoi was involved in many targeted killings and extortion from businessmen, professionals, including doctors etc. and this had created widespread scare and terror among the public at large. All such criminal acts were not isolated local incidents but part of a deep-rooted conspiracy amongst terrorists, gangsters, drug smuggling cartels and networks, operating from both within and outside the country,” a NIA spokesperson said in a statement after taking Bishnoi into custody last week.

“It was found that most of the conspiracies were hatched from inside the jail by Lawrence Bishnoi and were executed by an organised network of operatives based in India and abroad. Pertinently, the arrested gangster is involved and wanted in many cases, including the conspiracy to carry out targeted and sensational killings in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi for more than a decade,” the spokesperson added.

The agency, according to its statement, learnt that Bishnoi, his brothers – Sachin and Anmol Bishnoi – and associates, including Goldy Brar, Kala Jathedi, Kala Rana, Bikram Brar and Sampat Nehra, were raising funds to carry out terror and criminal activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons and widespread extortions. Goldy Brar is currently based in Canada and an Interpol red notice has been issued against him.

HT reported on Saturday that NIA is planning to declare some Canada-based gangsters, including Goldy Brar and Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala, as “individual terrorists” under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

In September and October too, NIA raided over 100 locations in several states in north India as part of its crackdown against “gangsters-terrorists” nexus.

The federal agency is looking at a “larger conspiracy” as these once small-time gangs have morphed into very big organised syndicates and specialise in high-profile contract killings, smuggling of drugs from Pakistan and other countries, possess dangerous automatic weapons such as AK47s and grenades, threaten popular personalities and easily run their operations from inside the prisons, as was once seen in the 90s in Mumbai, when the underworld gangs sparred with each other for territory, business operations and influence, said an NIA officer who didn’t want to be named.

In August, Union home minister Amit Shah had called for a crackdown on these gangs, following which Delhi Police registered a couple of cases against them.