NIA declares 6 mafia operatives as Proclaimed Offenders

Six gangster-turned-terrorist-mafia operatives have been declared as Proclaimed Offenders by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court in New Delhi. 

The six offenders are Canada-based Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala, Ramandeep Singh alias Raman Judge, Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa; Pakistan-based Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, Lakhbir Singh Rode and Wadhawa Singh Babbar. 

On 22nd July 2023, the central agency filed a charge sheet against nine accused including Dala, Landa, and Rinda. 

Case was  lodged suo moto

The case (RC 37/2022/NIA/DLI) was lodged suo moto by the agency last year on August 20. It was linked to terror activities of the chiefs or the members of proscribed pro-Khalistan terrorist organisations. They were involved with the operatives and the members of terror outfits and criminal groups that were operating in several parts of the country and were into the smuggling of terrorist hardware including arms, ammunition, explosives, custom-made ready-to-use IEDs and various types of contraband including drugs, from across the border.

As per the investigation, it has been found that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy of smuggling terror-related things such as arms, ammunition explosives, IEDs, etc. across international borders for use by their members operating from India.

Apart from this, they were also involved in the recruitment of terrorist cadres in the country and raising funds for the terror outfits. 
Further investigation is still underway into the matter.