Chandigarh: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at nine locations in Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday as part of its ongoing investigation into the gangster-terror nexus case.
The raids were carried out at eight locations in Punjab and one in Haryana since early morning following a tip-off against suspects linked to the case. The raids are aimed at cracking down on individuals and networks suspected of facilitating criminal activities linked to terrorist organisations.
Raids in Bathinda
The NIA team raided several locations in Bathinda district early morning. Sleuths raided the locations of Sandeep Dhillon, who is close to gangster Arsh Dalla who is abroad. A half dozen places including Maur Mandi, Amarpura Basti and village Jandanwala were raided. The NIA also raided the houses of Sandeep Dhillon's relative Vaid Buta Singh Jandanwala and the relatives of a person named Bobby in Maur Mandi.
Raids in Mansa
The house of Vishal Singh alias Sukhvir Singh, a resident of Mansa, was also raided by the NIA. Vishal is currently lodged at Patiala Jail. Sources said this raid was conducted to trace the connection between Vishal Singh and Arsh Dalla. Teams of Punjab Police also assisted the NIA in the raids. Search was also conducted at the house of Amandeep, who is lodged at a Nabha jail under the NDPS Act.
Intensified efforts to curb terror-gangster nexus
The raids in Punjab and Haryana are part of the agency's intensified efforts to curb the growing nexus between gangsters and terror groups operating in the region.
NIA recently conducted searches at the premises of suspects in the terror-gangster syndicate case in Palwal, Faridabad and Gurugram districts of Haryana, Jalandhar district of Punjab, and Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.
A host of incriminating materials, including mobiles and digital devices, banking transactions and property-related documents, were seized during these searches. The searches were part of NIA's continuous crackdown on terror outfits engaged in criminal conspiracies to smuggle terrorist hardware, such as arms, ammunition, narcotics and explosives into India.
NIA investigations in the case registered on the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, further show large-scale attempts by these organisations and terrorists to raise funds for carrying out terror acts on Indian soil.
