The National Investigation Agency Wednesday detained several suspects during a massive multi-state crackdown on a nexus of terrorists, gangsters and drug-smugglers, an official said.

The raids related to cases against the associates of Arsh Dalla, a listed terrorist, and many dreaded gangsters, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

The respective state police force provided necessary support to the daylong raids carried out at 53 locations in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and the union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh, a spokesperson of the federal agency said, the official said.

The official said pistols, ammunition, a large number of digital devices and incriminating material were seized during the raids aimed at dismantling the terror-gangster-smuggler nexus.

The action focused on weapon suppliers, financiers and logistics providers associated with various hardcore gangs working with drug-smugglers and terror outfits based in Pakistan, the UAE, Canada, Portugal and other countries, he said.

Some of the locations where raids were conducted included Amritsar, Moga, Fazilka , Ludhiana, Mohali, Faridkot, Barnala, Bhatinda, Ferozepur, SAS Naga and Jalandhar districts of Punjab; Rohtak, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Faridabad districts of Haryana; Sri Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Hanumangarh and Jodhpur districts of Rajasthan; Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh; Dehradun and Udhamsingh Nagar districts of Uttarakhand, the spokesperson said.

Raids were also carried out in the southeast district of Delhi-NCR and Chandigarh, he said.

Besides Dalla, others under the NIA scanner in these raids were notorious gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Sukha Duneke, Harry Maur, Narender alias Lali, Kala Jatheri and Deepak Tinu, the spokesperson said.

The raids were the seventh in the series of such crackdowns launched by the NIA following the registration of five cases since August 2022, including the two new registered against organised criminal gangs in July this year.

The cases relate to conspiracies of targeted killings, terror funding of pro-Khalistan outfits and extortion by gangsters many of whom are lodged in jails or are operating from various foreign countries, the spokesperson said.

Investigations have revealed that these conspiracies were being hatched in jails in various states and were being executed by an organised network of foreign-based operatives.

These conspiracies included the sensational killing of Maharashtra builder Sanjay Biyani, mining trader Mehal Singh and international Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambia in Punjab last year, the spokesperson said.

The official said many of the criminals and gangsters who were earlier leading gangs in India have fled abroad in recent years and are now carrying out terror and violence-related activities from there.

"These criminals have been engaged in planning and commissioning serious crimes, including contract and revenge killings, in association with criminals lodged in jails across India. These groups have been carrying out targeted killings and raising funds for attacks and other nefarious activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons, hawala and extortions," the spokesperson said.

The official said the spotlight on these gangs got sharper after reports of several prisons becoming havens of the deadly nexus and hubs of gang wars which recently resulted in violence and murder inside Goindwal Jail.

The NIA had earlier conducted similar raids at over 370 locations, leading to seizure of 38 arms, including four lethal weapons, along with 1,129 rounds of ammunition.

The agency has so far frozen 87 bank accounts and attached 13 properties, besides seizing 331 digital devices, 418 documents and two vehicles.

Also, two absconders have been declared designated individual terrorists, and 15 accused as Proclaimed Offenders and Red Corner Notices (RCNs) issued against nine others as a result of NIA's efforts to destroy and dismantle the deadly nexus between terrorists like Dalla and dreaded gangsters and drug smugglers, the spokesperson said.

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