In its ongoing efforts to tackle the nexus between terrorists, gangsters, and drug smugglers, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken a major step by attaching four properties owned by members of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s organized terror-crime syndicate. The attachments were made under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. The NIA has identified these properties as proceeds of terrorism, which were used for planning terror conspiracies and carrying out serious crimes.

Among the properties attached is Flat-77/4, Ashrey-1, Sulabh Awas Yojana, Sector-1, Gomti Nagar Extension, Lucknow, belonging to Vikas Singh, a known harbourer of the terror gang in Lucknow. Two other properties attached were located in village Bhishanpura, Fazilka, Punjab, and were owned by accused Dalip Kumar, also known as Bhola or Dalip Bishnoi. Additionally, a Fortuner car registered in the name of Joginder Singh from Yamunanagar, Haryana, was seized.

Through investigations, it was revealed that Vikas Singh is an associate of Lawrence Bishnoi and has been involved in harbouring terrorists, including those accused of the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Headquarters. Joginder Singh, the father of gangster Kala Rana, who is a close associate of Lawrence Bishnoi, was facilitating gang members by allowing them to use his Fortuner car for transporting arms and ammunition to carry out terrorist acts. The property owned by Dalip Kumar was being used as a shelter and warehouse for storing and concealing weapons, as well as harbouring gang members involved in terrorism.

The NIA had registered a case against Lawrence Bishnoi’s organized crime syndicate in August 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The investigations have shown that the gang has established criminal networks in various states of India, involved in heinous crimes such as the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, religious and social leaders like Pardeep Kumar, and large-scale extortions from businessmen and professionals.

Further investigations by the NIA have revealed that many of these terror conspiracies were orchestrated from abroad, including Pakistan and Canada, or by leaders of organized terror syndicates operating from prisons across India.

As part of its strategy to disrupt and dismantle such terror and mafia networks and their support infrastructure, the NIA has been targeting the properties acquired through ‘proceeds of terrorism’ for attachment and seizure.

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