NIA attaches 4 properties of Lawrence Bishnoi gang members

NIA said the attached properties were proceeds of terrorism used for hatching terror conspiracies and executing serious crimes

NEW DELHI: Continuing its crackdown on gangsters-terrorists-smugglers’ nexus, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday attached four properties owned by associates of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act or UAPA.

NIA has been probing the organised crime syndicate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates since August 2022. (Representative Image)

Among the properties attached are three immovable and one movable assets in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, the agency said in a statement, adding these are “proceeds of terrorism” used for hatching terror conspiracies and executing serious crimes.

One of the properties, a flat in Gomti Nagar in Lucknow belongs to Vikas Singh, an alleged harbourer of the gang members; two assets belong to one Dalip Kumar in Fazilka, Punjab while movable property, a Fortuner car, belongs to accused Joginder Singh in Yamunanagar, Haryana.

Vikas Singh, the agency said, is an associate of Lawrence Bishnoi, and had harboured terrorists including accused persons involved in RPG attack on Punjab Police Headquarters on May 9, 2022.

Joginder Singh is the father of gangster Kala Rana, a close aide of Bishnoi, and facilitated the gang members by allowing them to use his Fortuner car for the purpose of transportation of arms and ammunition for promoting terrorist acts, the NIA statement added.

The property belonging to Dalip Kumar was being used as a shelter and warehouse for storage and concealment of weapons, and also for harbouring terrorist gang members.

The agency has been probing the organised crime syndicate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates since August 2022.

“Investigations showed that the gang had spread its mafia style criminal networks in several states of the country. These networks were involved in many sensational crimes, such as the murders of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala as well as religious and social leaders like Pardeep Kumar, besides large-scale extortions from businessmen and professionals,” the statement added.

It further said “many of these terror conspiracies were masterminded from abroad, including Pakistan and Canada, or by leaders of organised terror syndicates operating from prisons across India”.

Earlier this week, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) designated Satwinder Singh alias Goldy Brar, based in Canada, who is the deputy to Bishnoi, as a “terrorist” under the UAPA.

Bishnoi is a key figure in north India based gangsters and runs the largest network of around 700 members in the syndicate, according to NIA officials who didn’t want to be named.

He is lodged in prison since 2015 and is moved frequently in Delhi and Punjab jails due to multiple cases in courts against him.