A view of the National Investigation Agency office in New Delhi. file | Photo credit: The Hindu
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on June 6 carried out searches at 10 locations in Punjab and Haryana in a case linked to banned terrorist organization Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).
Raids are being conducted at nine places in Punjab and one place in Haryana in connection with a criminal conspiracy hatched to raise funds for a banned terrorist organization and cross-border smuggling of arms, ammunition and explosives.
The NIA had registered a suo motu case on August 20 last year under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In the same case, the NIA had arrested two ‘wanted’ close associates. Canada based ‘listed terrorist’ Arsh Dhalla Soon after his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport from Manila in the Philippines on May 19 this year, where he was staying.
identity of both Amritpal Singh alias Ammi and Amrit Singh, both residents of Punjab, were caught by the NIA in an operation in the morning, whose team was waiting at the airport for their flight to land.
NIA had earlier informed that NIA Delhi Court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants against both the accused in a case related to illegal and violent activities of banned organizations in India. Several criminal cases are registered against the accused in Punjab.
NIA investigation has revealed that the accused were working for designated terrorist Arshdeep Singh Dhalla to promote violent criminal activities of KTF in India. The NIA, along with another notorious wanted accused Manpreet Singh alias Pita, has said that both the accused were involved in smuggling arms from Pakistan at the behest of KTF and recruiting youths to carry out acts of violence and terror in the country.
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“They were also part of an extortion racket to raise funds for a banned organisation. The accused used to identify targets of extortion, including businessmen, and then threaten them with huge sums of money. If the identified targets refused, So his house and other premises would be shot at by the India-based associates of the accused, the NIA said.
The arrests were part of the NIA’s sustained crackdown on individual terrorists and terrorist organizations involved in a criminal conspiracy to smuggle terror equipment such as arms, ammunition and explosives and raise funds for carrying out terrorist activities on Indian soil.