NIA raids 70 locations linked to Bishnoi, Bawana & other gangsters
Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Feb, 2023 11:28 AM
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday was conducting raids across the nation at more than 70 locations belonging to gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Neeraj Bawana and their aides.
The raids were conducted in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh.
The raids started early Tuesday morning and are currently going on.
Lawrence Bishnoi was placed under arrest by the NIA on November 24, 2022 in connection with a case related to conspiracy hatched by terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers' syndicate to create terror among the public.
His arrest was made when he was lodged in the Bhatinda Jail.
The case pertains to conspiracy hatched by the members of criminal syndicate based in India and abroad, to raise funds, recruit youth to carry out terrorist acts in Delhi and other parts of the country to execute spectacular heinous crimes, including targeted killings of prominent persons, with an intention to strike terror in the minds of the people of the country.
The case was initially registered at police station Special Cell, Delhi Police on August 4, 2022 and later on the probe of the matter was taken over by the NIA.
"We have learnt that the terrorist-gangster-drug smugglers syndicate led by Bishnoi was involved in many targeted killings and extortion from businessmen, professionals, including doctors.
This had created a widespread scare and terror among the public at large. All such criminal acts were not isolated local incidents but part of a deep-rooted conspiracy amongst the terrorists, gangsters, drug smuggling cartels and networks, operating from both within and outside the country," the NIA had earlier said.
The NIA found that most of the conspiracies were hatched from inside the jail by Bishnoi and were executed by an organised network of operatives based in India and abroad. Pertinently, the arrested gangster is involved and wanted in many cases, including the conspiracy to carry out targeted and sensational killings in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi for more than a decade.
Bishnoi along with his brothers Sachin and Anmol Bishnoi and associates, including Goldy Brar, Kala Jathedi, Kala Rana, Bikram Brar and Sampat Nehra were also raising funds to carry out all such terror/criminal activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons and widespread extortions.
The decision of organising the mahapanchayat was taken in a meeting of the SKM, held in Haryana's Kurukshetra on Thursday, where office-bearers of the farmers' organisations from many states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab participated.
The development came a day after the police arrested a juvenile and recovered 15 packets of heroin, weighing 15 kg, and Rs 8.40 lakh drug money from his possession in Amritsar.
The arrested accused has been identified as Vijay Kumar, a.k.a. Toti, while his three aides have been identified as Amardeep Singh, Sooraj Singh and Rahul Lahoch, all residents of Jalandhar. The main accused, Vijay, has been facing 18 criminal cases pertaining to drugs, illegal weapons, kidnapping and extortion.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested three persons, who were trying to smuggle 17.74 kg gold worth Rs 10.1 crore on a fishing boat, and threw it overboard when intercepted, an official said on Thursday.
The Etah police have arrested four members of a gang including a 30-year-old woman, who robbed men of their valuables after a fake marriage. If the victim family took any action, the gang would threaten them with a fake dowry harassment case.
Under the policy, some private rehab centres have already been served with closure notices. Some have even closed. There are cases where rehab centres have shifted from Punjab and set up bases in neighbouring states.
