On Wednesday, May 17 the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided 324 locations in six states and two Union Territories, in collaboration with Punjab and Haryana police as a part of its multi-state crackdown on terrorist-gangster-drug-peddler nexus codenamed “Operation Dhvast”. During the raids, the authorities seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition in addition to multiple incriminating materials.
During the raids conducted on May 17 in eight districts—Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, three accused persons were also arrested.
The NIA raided 129 locations, the Punjab Police searched 143 locations in 17 districts, and the Haryana Police raided 52 locations in ten districts commencing at 5.30 a.m.
These operations targeted weapon suppliers, financiers, logistic providers, and hawala operators affiliated with hardcore gangs collaborating with narcotics smugglers and terrorists based in other countries including Pakistan and Canada, according to the NIA press release.
The NIA further stated that one pistol, assorted ammunition (both live and used cartridges), 60 mobile phones, five DVRs, 20 SIM cards, one hard disk, one pen drive, one dongle, one WiFi router, a digital watch, two memory cards, 75 documents, and Rs.39,60,000 in cash were recovered by the raiding parties.
NIA arrests three persons linked with notorious gangsters
According to an official release from the NIA, Parveen Wadhwa was brought into custody from Bhiwani in Haryana, Irfan from New Seelampur in Delhi, and Jassa Singh from Moga in Punjab.
“In jail, Parveen Wadhwa was discovered liaising with certain notorious gangsters, including Lawrence Bishnoi.” Weapons were recovered from Irfan’s house in New Seelampur (Delhi), who is also linked to dreaded gangsters. Jassa Singh was working at the request of Arsh Dhalla, a ‘listed terrorist’ based in Canada,” the NIA said.
According to NIA investigations, Parveen alias Prince communicated frequently with Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang members Deepak alias Tinu and Sampat Nehra, as well as other associates. He was acting as their special messenger from inside the prisons.
NIA arrests three in connection with 17th May's multi-state raids in terror-gangster-drugs nexus. pic.twitter.com/xe0MmgXngu
— ANI (@ANI) May 18, 2023
NIA’s crackdown on Arsh Dalla’s terror network
The NIA said that the day-long searches under Operation Dhvast were aimed at disrupting the terror network of Arsh Dalla, a designated terrorist, as well as dreaded ganglords such as Lawrence Bishnoi, Chhenu Pehalwan, Deepak Teetar, Bhupi Rana, Vikash Lagarpuriya, Ashish Choudhary, Gurpreet Sekhon, Dilpreet Baba, Harsimrat Simma, Anuradha, and others.
The cases are linked to conspiracies involving targeted killings, terror funding of pro-Khalistan organizations, and extortion. Among these cases is last year’s sensational murder of Maharashtra builder Sanjay Biyani and international Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambia in Punjab, the NIA stated.
‘Prisons were becoming havens of the deadly nexus and hubs of gang wars’: NIA
The NIA also discovered that numerous offenders who were leading gangsters in India had fled to countries such as Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia, and Australia, from where they were planning significant crimes in collaboration with criminals imprisoned across India.
“The spotlight on these gangs has become 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 the Goindwal Jail of Punjab and Tihar Jail of Delhi,” the NIA said.
These organizations were carrying out targeted executions and raising funding for their nefarious activities through drug and weapon smuggling, hawala, and extortion.
The NIA said that the probe agency is conducting further investigation as a part of its efforts to destroy the growing nexus among terrorists, gangsters, and drug smugglers, and also to dismantle their funding and infrastructure.
