NIA arrests 3 persons under 'Operation Dhvast' launched at 324 places in 8 states

Those arrested by the NIA belong to Moga (Punjab), Bhiwani (Haryana) and North-East District (Delhi). The accused have been identified as Parveen Wadhwa from Bhiwani, Irfan from New Seelampur and Jassa Singh of Moga.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested three persons in connection with the multi-state raids conducted on Wednesday as part of 'Operation Dhvast' launched at 324 places across eight states in the terrorist-gangster-drug smugglers' network cases. The NIA had raided 129 of the total 324 locations searched in the coordinated crackdown carried out by the agency along with Punjab and Haryana Police.

Those arrested by the NIA belong to Moga (Punjab), Bhiwani (Haryana) and North-East District (Delhi). The accused have been identified as Parveen Wadhwa from Bhiwani, Irfan from New Seelampur and Jassa Singh of Moga. Parveen Wadhwa was found liaising with certain notorious gangsters, including Lawrence Bishnoi, in Jail. However, the NIA seized weapons from the house of Irfan from New Seelampur (Delhi), who is also associated with dreaded gangsters. Jassa Singh was working at the behest of Canada-based 'listed terrorist' Arsh Dhalla.

As per NIA investigations, Parveen alias Prince was in regular touch with Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang members Deepak alias Tinu and Sampat Nehra, along with other associates. He was working as their special messenger from inside Jails. Investigations into the activities of Irfan alias Chenu revealed his involvement in a terror conspiracy involving gangster Kaushal Choudhary and his associates Sunil Balyan alias Tillu Tajpuria, among others. He has been arraigned as an accused following the raids that also led to the recovery of arms.

In the case of Jassa Singh, NIA has established his role in the Khalistan terror conspiracy. He had delivered a Pistol at the instance of Arsh Dalla, NIA investigations showed. Wednesday's raids were a part of the continuing crackdown by the NIA on terror networks as well as their funding and support infrastructure, wherein the agency has been investigating three cases since August 2022.

The nationwide raids were conducted across eight states and UTs, namely Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chandigarh and Madhya Pradesh. While NIA had knocked on 129 doors, Punjab Police had launched searches at 143 places in 17 districts and Haryana Police had raided 52 locations in 10 districts simultaneously as part of the day-long searches. The cases are connected with conspiracies related to targeted killings, terror funding of pro-Khalistan outfits and extortion. Notable among these cases is the sensational killing of Maharashtra builder Sanjay Biyani and international Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambia in Punjab last year.

NIA investigations have so far revealed that the conspiracies were being hatched in Jails of different states and were being executed by an organized network of operatives based abroad. 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 Goindwal Jail and Tihar Jail. The NIA has further found that many criminals, who were leading the gangsters in India, had fled to countries like Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia and Australia, from where they were engaged in planning serious crimes, in association with criminals lodged in Jails across India.

"These groups were carrying out targeted killings and raising funds for their nefarious activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons, hawala and extortion," NIA said. Further investigations into these cases are continuing as part of NIA's efforts to destroy the growing nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers, and to dismantle their funding and infrastructure.(ANI)

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