The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out raids at 30 locations across the states Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chandigarh UT in connection with the searches in terrorist-gangster nexus cases across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chandigarh states which continued since morning till late night.  Multiple NIA teams conducted a massive operation in coordination with the concerned state police forces at the premises of suspects involved in the cases based on the inputs following interrogation of the accused. According to information, on January 6 this year, the NIA had also conducted major action towards demolishing the terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler nexus in the country along with attachment of four properties including three immovable and one movable properties owned by members of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s organized terror-crime syndicate in above states under the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 to be ‘proceeds of terrorism’ used for hatching terror conspiracies and serious crimes.

The NIA had registered a case against the organised crime syndicate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates in August 2022. The investigations revealed that the gang had spread its criminal networks in several states in the country involved in several sensational crimes including murder, attempts to murder, kidnapping and ransom demand, large-scale extortions rom businessmen and professionals, including the murders of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala as well as religious and social leaders like Pardeep Kumar. NIA investigations have further revealed that many of these terror conspiracies were masterminded from abroad, including Pakistan and Canada, or by leaders of organised terror syndicates operating from inside the prisons across India. According to information, the NIA has adopted several targeted strategies in recent months, including attachment and seizure of their properties derived from ‘proceeds of terrorism’.