The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested two accused persons following searches at more than 50 locations in five States to dismantle and disrupt the emerging nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers in the country and overseas.
The searches were carried out in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. The arrested accused have been identified as Asif Khan, an advocate from North-East Delhi, and Rajesh, a resident of Haryana’s Sonepat.
According to the agency, four weapons and some pistols in a “semi-knocked down condition” were seized from Asif’s residence along with ammunition. As alleged, he was in touch with gangsters, both inside and lodged in the prisons, and was assisting them in carrying out criminal activities.
Accused Rajesh, who faced a probe in multiple cases, runs an illegal liquor racket in Sonepat and nearby areas alongwith his associates. He is an accomplice of Sandeep, a notorious ganster in Haryana.
The NIA searches are part of a crackdown on gangsters, their associates and illegal arms suppliers. The premises covered during the operation included that of one Sampat Nehra of Churu in Rajasthan; Amit Dagar, Naresh Sethi and Surender in Haryana; Naveen, Salim and Amit in Delhi; and Rizwan from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh.
It is alleged that the gangs targeted people for extortion and were using the cyberspace to publicise the criminal acts for creating an atmosphere of terror among their prospective victims.
Many gang leaders and members, who had fled the country, are now operating from different countries, including Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia and Australia.
“Ongoing probes by the NIA in cases being investigated, such as the killing of Shaurya Chakra awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh in Punjab, also revealed that most of the conspiracies were being hatched from inside jails of different States and were being executed by an organised network of operatives based abroad,” said the agency.
