NIA conducts raids in 324 locations targeting terrorist-gangster-drug smugglers nexus cases under “Operation Dhvast.” Arms and ammunition were seized, and several suspects were detained across multiple states.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in collaboration with Punjab Police and Haryana Police, conducted extensive raids in 324 locations across eight states. The raids were part of “Operation Dhvast” and aimed to disrupt the nexus between terrorists, gangsters, and drug smugglers. Significant quantities of arms and ammunition were seized during the operation.
The coordinated raids took place simultaneously in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chandigarh, and Madhya Pradesh. They focused on targeting individuals associated with designated terrorists like Arsh Dalla, as well as notorious gangsters including Lawrence Bishnoi, Chhenu Pehalwan, Deepak Teetar, Bhupi Rana, Vikash Lagarpuriya, Ashish Choudhary, Gurpreet Sekhon, Dilpreet Baba, Harsimrat Simma, and Anuradha.
The objective of the raids was to target weapon suppliers, financiers, logistic providers, and hawala operators connected to hardcore criminal gangs involved in drug smuggling and terrorism. These gangs have links to foreign countries such as Pakistan and Canada.
During the raids, the NIA and police seized a pistol, various types of ammunition, 60 mobile phones, five DVRs, 20 SIM cards, one hard disk, one pen drive, a dongle, a WiFi router, a digital watch, two memory cards, 75 documents, and ₹39,60,000 in cash.
The operation covered multiple districts in Punjab, including Abohar, Moga, Fazilka, Ludhiana, Mohali, Ferozpur, Tarn Taran, Faridkot, Roopnagar, Nawashahar, Amritsar, Patiala, Bernala, and Jalandhar. Raids were also conducted in Gurugram, Yamuna Nagar, Ambala, Rohtak, Sirsa, Kurukshetra, and Jhajjar districts of Haryana. In Rajasthan, the targeted districts were Sri Ganga Nagar, Churu, Bikaner, and Jaipur, while Baghpat, Meerut, and Lucknow were covered in Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, raids took place in the Bhind and Barwani districts of Madhya Pradesh, as well as various districts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
The raids aimed to dismantle the networks involved in criminal activities and disrupt their operations. The NIA and the police will continue their investigations based on the evidence collected during the raids.