Dealing another blow to the terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler networks, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday, March 7, attached five properties in Delhi and Haryana.
An official here said that following its investigations in cases against three major organised crime syndicates or gangs – being operated by Pakistan-based Harvinder Rinda, Lawrence Bishnoi and the Bambiha group – the NIA has attached four properties in Haryana and one in Delhi owned by members of organised crime syndicates operating in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.
This was the anti-terror investigation agency’s second such attachment since March 4.
“The properties attached today were found to have been acquired with funds generated from carrying out different types of terrorist and criminal extortion activities. They were thus ‘proceeds of terrorism’, as they were being used for hatching terror conspiracies and execution of crimes,” the official said.
The properties attached in action by NIA today include the house of Chhotu Ram aka Bhat in Sirsa; the house of Jagseer Singh aka Jagga, Sarpanch at Takhatmal in Sirsa; the house of Virender Singh aka Kala Rana in district Yamuna Nagar and the land of Raju aka Mota, a resident of Basaudi in district Sonipat in Haryana and the land of Satyawan Sehrawat aka Sonu at Dariyapur in Delhi.
“NIA’s action today has hit the weapons supply chain of this network. Virender, Chhotu Ram and Jagseer Singh used to provide weapons and arrange logistics, including safe sanctuaries, for the gang members,” the official said.
“While Satyawan and Raju had also harboured gangsters. They had a major role to play in the generation of funds to support the operations of terror-crime syndicates. Raju had laundered the money by investing the ‘proceeds of terrorism’ in real estate business and other businesses, including liquor,” the official added.
Since it launched its drive against organised crime syndicates in August 2022, the NIA has carried out over 230 raids and searches across Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi-NCR, arrested 27 gangster leaders, recovered around 38 weapons, and frozen 87 Bank accounts.
In addition, Canada-based Arsh Dalla and Pakistan-based Harvinder Rinda have been listed as ‘terrorists’ by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the recent past.
“The drive to choke these organised crime networks of funding and to dismantle their ecosystem by attaching and seizing their properties, derived from ‘proceeds of terrorism and crime’ would be intensified in the coming days, along with the police forces of various states,” the official added.