NEW DELHI: As many as 43 suspects have been identified in cases related to the vandalism attacks on Indian High Commissions in UK, US and Canada, through the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) efforts at crowd-sourcing information. Also, as part of its stepped-up investigations into these cases in recent months, the NIA has carried out more than 50 raids and searches and examined 80 persons in India for alleged links to the conspiracy behind the attacks.
Sharing this update as part of a year-end review of its actions and achievements, NIA informed that it has scored an overall conviction rate of 94.70%, arrested 625 accused and ensured the attachment of 240 assets, including 156 bank accounts, all worth around Rs 56 crores, in 2023 as part of an intensified and focused fight against terrorists, gangsters, drug smugglers, human traffickers and other criminals working against national interests.
NIA said its scaled-up operations across India in 2023 saw a 28% rise in arrests from 490 in 2022 to 625 this year. While 65 accused were arrested this year in ISIS cases, 114 were arrested for jihadi terror cases, 45 in human trafficking cases, 28 for terrorist and organized criminal activity and 76 in Left-Wing Extremism-related (LWE) cases.
NIA registered 68 cases in 2023, including 18 related to jihadi terror across multiple states, 3 related to J&K, 12 related to LWE, 7 cases involving terrorist & organised crimes in Punjab, 5 cases concerning the northeast region and 2 related to fake Indian currency notes.
The total number of persons chargesheeted and convicted in NIA cases stood at 513 and 74 respectively, as against 459 and 79 in 2022. NIA managed to track down and arrest 47 accused in 2023, 14 more than last year. Also, arrests were made upon deportation and extradition – those in the net include Amritpal Singh @ Ammy, Amrik Singh, Manpreet Singh @Peeta and Mandeep Singh deported from the Philippines. Vikram Brar was arrested upon deportation from the UAE.
The number of searches and raids by the NIA also recorded a significant increase, going up from 957 in 2022 to 1040 in 2023.
In line with its targeted strategy to squeeze terror funding by seizing properties and dismantling the terror and crime ecosystems, the NIA attached properties and assets worth Rs 56 crore, up from Rs 10.5 crore attached in 2022. The 12 properties, worth Rs 1.5 crore, attached in 2023 belonged to six listed ‘individual terrorists’.
Dismantling of the terrorist-gangster nexus by NIA saw the registration of two cases, charge-sheeting of 55 persons, 253 raids, 27 arrests and attachment of 18 properties in 2023.
Crackdown by NIA on cadres and sympathizers of the banned CPI Maoist and People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) brought about the arrest of Dinesh Gope, supremo of PLF that is a splinter group of CPI (Maoist), in May 2023. He was absconding for almost two decades and was wanted in more than 150 cases of the state police as well as NIA, and was carrying a cumulative reward of Rs 30 lakh.
Six individuals, namely Mohammed Amin Khubaiab, Arbaz Ahmad Mir, Dr. Asif Maqbool Dar, Arshdeep Singh Gill, Harwinder Singh Sandhu and Lakhbir Singh Landa were designated as ‘individual terrorists’ during 2023, as proposed by NIA. Also, four terrorist organisations – The Resistance Force (TRF), People’s Anti-Fascists Front (PAFF), Jammu & Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF) and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF)) – were banned, again on the recommendation of the NIA.
Sharing this update as part of a year-end review of its actions and achievements, NIA informed that it has scored an overall conviction rate of 94.70%, arrested 625 accused and ensured the attachment of 240 assets, including 156 bank accounts, all worth around Rs 56 crores, in 2023 as part of an intensified and focused fight against terrorists, gangsters, drug smugglers, human traffickers and other criminals working against national interests.
NIA said its scaled-up operations across India in 2023 saw a 28% rise in arrests from 490 in 2022 to 625 this year. While 65 accused were arrested this year in ISIS cases, 114 were arrested for jihadi terror cases, 45 in human trafficking cases, 28 for terrorist and organized criminal activity and 76 in Left-Wing Extremism-related (LWE) cases.
NIA registered 68 cases in 2023, including 18 related to jihadi terror across multiple states, 3 related to J&K, 12 related to LWE, 7 cases involving terrorist & organised crimes in Punjab, 5 cases concerning the northeast region and 2 related to fake Indian currency notes.
The total number of persons chargesheeted and convicted in NIA cases stood at 513 and 74 respectively, as against 459 and 79 in 2022. NIA managed to track down and arrest 47 accused in 2023, 14 more than last year. Also, arrests were made upon deportation and extradition – those in the net include Amritpal Singh @ Ammy, Amrik Singh, Manpreet Singh @Peeta and Mandeep Singh deported from the Philippines. Vikram Brar was arrested upon deportation from the UAE.
The number of searches and raids by the NIA also recorded a significant increase, going up from 957 in 2022 to 1040 in 2023.
In line with its targeted strategy to squeeze terror funding by seizing properties and dismantling the terror and crime ecosystems, the NIA attached properties and assets worth Rs 56 crore, up from Rs 10.5 crore attached in 2022. The 12 properties, worth Rs 1.5 crore, attached in 2023 belonged to six listed ‘individual terrorists’.
Dismantling of the terrorist-gangster nexus by NIA saw the registration of two cases, charge-sheeting of 55 persons, 253 raids, 27 arrests and attachment of 18 properties in 2023.
Crackdown by NIA on cadres and sympathizers of the banned CPI Maoist and People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) brought about the arrest of Dinesh Gope, supremo of PLF that is a splinter group of CPI (Maoist), in May 2023. He was absconding for almost two decades and was wanted in more than 150 cases of the state police as well as NIA, and was carrying a cumulative reward of Rs 30 lakh.
Six individuals, namely Mohammed Amin Khubaiab, Arbaz Ahmad Mir, Dr. Asif Maqbool Dar, Arshdeep Singh Gill, Harwinder Singh Sandhu and Lakhbir Singh Landa were designated as ‘individual terrorists’ during 2023, as proposed by NIA. Also, four terrorist organisations – The Resistance Force (TRF), People’s Anti-Fascists Front (PAFF), Jammu & Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF) and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF)) – were banned, again on the recommendation of the NIA.
