New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out searches at over 70 locations across the country of gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Neeraj Bawana and their associates in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh and other states, officials said.
The raids began in the early hours of Tuesday and are still ongoing. Lawrence Bishnoi was arrested by the NIA on November 24, 2022, in a case related to a conspiracy hatched by a syndicate of terrorists, gangsters and drug peddlers to create terror among the public.
The case pertains to conspiracy hatched by members of criminal syndicates based in India and abroad to raise funds, recruit youth to carry out terror activities in Delhi and other parts of the country, to commit heinous crimes. In addition, it includes targeted killings of prominent persons with the intention of creating terror in the minds of the people of the country.
The case was initially registered with the Police Station Special Cell, Delhi Police on August 4, 2022 and later the investigation of the case was taken over by the NIA.
“We have come to know that the terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler syndicate led by Bishnoi was involved in several targeted killings and extortion from businessmen, professionals, including doctors,” the NIA had said recently.
This had created a widespread fear and panic among the public at large.
All such criminal acts are not local incidents but were part of a deep-rooted conspiracy between terrorists, gangsters, drug trafficking cartels and networks operating both within and outside the country. It is a big threat within the country. All conspiracies were hatched by Bishnoi from inside the jail, officials said.