NIA raids in Punjab, Haryana to probe terror-gangster nexus

New Delhi, October 18

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today conducted raids at more than 50 locations in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR as part of an investigation into the nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug traffickers, officials said.

50 sites searched

Houses of Bathinda, Gurugram lawyers among 50 locations searched across north India

In a statement, the NIA said it had searched the premises of Sampat Nehra of Churu in Rajasthan; Naresh Sethi, a notorious gangster-criminal of Jhajjar in Haryana; Surender, alias Cheeku, of Narnaul in Haryana; Naveen, alias Bali, of Bawana in Delhi; Amit, alias Dabang, of Tajpur in outer Delhi; Amit Dagar of Gurugram; Sandeep, alias Bandar, and Salim, alias Pistol, of northeast Delhi; and Qurban and Rizwan of Khurja in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. The raids also covered the premises of their accomplices. In Punjab’s Bathinda, raids were conducted at the houses of advocate Gurpreet Singh Sidhu, kabaddi promoter Jagga Jandian and alleged gangster Jaman Singh, police sources said. Sidhu is reported to have said that his residence was searched by a team of the NIA while Jandian reportedly claimed the agency team took away his mobile phone. “The raids were aimed to dismantle and disrupt the emerging nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers and traffickers based in India and abroad,” an NIA spokesperson said, adding that a few of the “most desperate” gang leaders and their associates based in India and abroad were identified and booked in two cases registered by the NIA in August this year.

Some of the associates of these gangsters, allegedly involved in illegal liquor supply, were also targeted during the raids and they include Rajesh, alias Raju Mota, of Basodi village at Sonepat in Haryana, the spokesperson said. The agency seized five pistols along with ammunition from the house of Asif Khan, an advocate living in Gautam Vihar in Usmanpur area of northeast Delhi, the NIA said. “He was connected with various gangsters of Haryana and Delhi. A few weapons in semi-knocked down condition have also been recovered,” the spokesperson said. “Preliminary probe has revealed that these gangs were carrying out targeted killings and were also raising funds to carry out such criminal activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons,” he said.

The NIA also searched the residence of lawyer Avinash Yadav, a member of the Gurugram Bar Association, which condemned the action.