The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday conducted simultaneous raids at the premises and suspected locations of the associates of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Bambiha, and individual ‘listed terrorist’ Arshdeep Singh Dalla gangs in three separate cases linked to the terrorist-gangster-smuggler nexus. The raids were conducted at nearly 30 locations in Punjab as well as the remaining locations in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, and the National Capital Region. 


The searches started early Wednesday morning in close coordination with state police forces. 


A suo-motu case was registered by the federal agency on August 20 under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the terror activities of banned terrorist organisations in India.


The agency has been cracking down on individual and terrorist outfits conspiring to smuggle arms, ammunition, and explosives and raising funds for carrying out terrorist activities in India. 


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The NIA probe revealed that several gangsters have nexus with individual ‘listed terrorist’ Arshdeep Singh Dala had entered into a criminal conspiracy to raise funds for proscribed terrorist organisation Khalistan Tiger Force. They were also engaged in smuggling of arms, ammunition and explosives for the KTF from across the border, said the agency. 


Dalla has been operating from Canada for the last 3-4 years and has had many terrorist killings in Punjab over the last few years. On behalf of the KTF, he has been guiding and commissioning terrorist acts and promotes violence and large-scale extortion. 


In January,Arshdeep Singh Gill aka Arsh Dalla was declared a designate terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs. 


The other two cases are also linked to gangster-terror nexus naming gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Goly Brar, Vikram Brar and others in which the accused are charged for assisting and facilitating different gang in targetted killings and extortions in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab.