New Delhi: The Indian Home Ministry has urged counter-terrorism authorities to crack down on criminal gangs across the country, especially in the state of Punjab, and explore their possible international links after Indian singer Sidhu Moose Wala was fatally shot in May. Taking a massive crackdown on criminal gangs and crime syndicates, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) is reportedly conducting raids at around 50 different locations.
The NIA had allegedly registered a case against gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Neeraj Bawana, who had planned to kill singer Sidhu Moose Wala a few days before the raid.
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav had last week said there is a "strong nexus" between the gangsters detained in the Sidhu Moose Wala murder case and terrorist organisations.
A preliminary NIA report has claimed that the gang members are responsible for deliberately killing well-known people and spreading terror on social media.
The two criminals were "raising funds through extortion, criminal intimidation and smuggling, which were also used to finance terrorist activities and recruit influential youth into their gangs to enhance such activities, and These criminals were using cyberspace and social media to create fear in the public," CNN-News18 reported.
According to NDTV news channel, "The raid is aimed at arresting local handlers of gangsters involved in terror cases... especially those involved in cross-border arms smuggling are also on the radar."
Sidhu Musewala murder
Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala has been hit by more than 30 bullets in Jawaharke village of Mansa district. In a Facebook post, Canadian gangster Goldie Brar and imprisoned gangster Lawrence Bishnoi both admitted to killing the singer.
Bishnoi, a well-known gangster of 31 years, has more than 65 criminal cases against him including murder, extortion and other offences. He is in police custody since 2020.
Bishnoi allegedly runs a gang with 700 members from inside the jail. Punjab Police, Delhi Police and other law enforcement agencies have already taken 23 suspects into custody in connection with Moose Wala's murder.
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