NIA raids in 3 UP districts to ‘dismantle’ terror-gangster nexus
Officials said preliminary investigations have revealed that these gangs were carrying out targeted killings and were also raising funds to carry out criminal activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out raids at 52 locations across several states, including Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr and Sonbhadra districts of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.).
NIA officials said these raids were to “dismantle and disrupt the emerging nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers or traffickers” in India and abroad.
Officials said preliminary investigations have revealed that these gangs were carrying out targeted killings and were also raising funds to carry out criminal activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons.
The officials said to create terror among the public these gangs used cyberspace to publicise crimes.
Officials pointed out that few of the most desperate gang leaders and their associates based in India and abroad, who are spearheading and carrying out such terror and criminal activities were identified and booked in two cases registered by the NIA on August 26, 2022.
A NIA official said the raids were also conducted at the locations of two notorious criminals identified as Qurban and Rizwan Khurja and their associates in Bulandshahr, U.P.
He said several incriminating documents, digital devices, details about benami property created through crime, cash, gold bars and gold jewellery were recovered from their locations in Khurja, Bulandshahr. Besides, several threat letters that were to be sent to targeted people to extort money have also been seized by the NIA, the official said.
This official said such raids and searches followed the launch of NIA investigations against such organised criminal syndicates and networks spread across many states, including arms suppliers based in UP and Rajasthan.
He said those targeted during NIA raids included ones involved in illegal liquor supply like Rajesh alias Raju Mota of Sonepat, Haryana.
The official said the searches were conducted at 52 locations in UP’s Gautambuddhnagar, Bulandshahr and Sonbhadra districts, Punjab’s Abohar, Bhatinda, Muktsar Sahab, Moga, Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Mohali districts, Haryana’s East Gurugram, Bhiwani, Yamuna Nagar, Sonepat, Mahendragarh, Manesar, Rewari, Rohtak and Jhajjar districts, Rajasthan’s Churu, Bharatpur and Alwar districts, Delhi’s Dwarka, Outer North, Central, Outer and North East districts.
He said five pistols and revolvers have been seized, along with ammunition, which includes a cache of four pistols from the house of Asif Khan, Advocate of Usmanpur, North East Delhi. He said Khan was allegedly was connected with various gangsters of Haryana and Delhi. He said few weapons in semi-knocked down condition have been recovered.
He said further investigations will continue to dismantle such terror networks as well as their funding and support infrastructure. He said the NIA investigations have also revealed that such criminal acts were not isolated local incidents but there was a deep-rooted conspiracy amongst terrorists, gangsters and drug smuggling cartels and networks and who had operated from within and outside the country.
He said many gang leaders and members had the country and were operating from countries like Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia and Australia.
This NIA official said the killing of Shaurya Chakra Awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh in Punjab also revealed that most of these conspiracies were being hatched from inside jails of different states and executed by an organised network of global operatives.
