The National Investigation Agency on Tuesday conducted raids at 10 locations in Punjab and Haryana at the premises connected with some associates of Canada-based terrorist Arshdeep Dala, an official said.
The raids were conducted a day after a special court in Mohali declared Dala a proclaimed offender in a case of conspiracy to kill a priest in Punjab, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.
The official said the searches were conducted at the premises of associates of Dala and his close aide Manpreet Singh alias Peeta, currently living in the Philippines, in a case registered suo motu by the NIA on August 20 last year.
"Several incriminating materials, including digital devices, were seized during the raids, conducted as part of NIA's crackdown on 'individual terrorists' and terrorist outfits engaged in criminal/terrorist activities in India. A total of six accused have so far been arrested in the case," the spokesperson said.
According to the NIA, the case relates to the terror activities of proscribed terrorist organisations such as Khalistan Liberation Force, Babbar Khalsa International, International Sikh Youth Federation and Khalistan Tiger Force.
"Such activities include smuggling of terrorist hardware such as arms, ammunition, explosive and improvised explosive devices across international borders. The smuggled goods are for use by operatives/members of terror outfits and organised criminal gangs operating in various parts of the country for carrying out terrorist acts like bomb explosions and targeted killings,” the spokesperson said.
The official said the investigations have revealed that Dala and his associates based in different countries are continuously recruiting new cadres in India to carry out the activities of the banned terrorist organisation Khalistan Tiger Force.
"They are raising funds for the banned terrorist organisation through extortion and other means and carrying out smuggling of arms, ammunition and explosives from across the border,” the official said.
Dala was declared a "listed terrorist" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in January through a notification issued by the Union ministry of home affairs. He is accused of various offences, including targeted killings, attempted murder and extortion for raising funds for terrorist activities.
The raids came a day after Dala was declared a proclaimed offender in a case relating to a conspiracy to kill a Hindu priest in Jalandhar.
The priest, Kamaldeep Sharma, was shot at and critically injured on January 31, 2021.
Dala was a key conspirator in the case, planned by KTF's self-styled chief Hardeep Nijjar, a native of the priest's village (Bharsinghpur in Phillaur), the spokesperson said, adding Nijjar, currently based in Canada, was also designated as an "individual terrorist" by the MHA in July 2020.
Nijjar, who is the president of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, has been proactively involved in recruiting, training, financing and operationalising pro-Khalistan terrorist modules for spreading terror in India.
He is involved in giving inflammatory and hateful speeches through social media platforms, the spokesperson said, adding the NIA has attached Nijjar's property in the same village in another case.
"It was on the directions of Nijjar, who is associated with the Sikhs for Justice too, that Dala had recruited Kamaljeet Sharma and Ram Singh, the two assailants of the priest. Dala was also arranging weapons for the shooters and sending terror funds through various MTSS (money transfer service scheme) channels, besides extorting funds from various business entities in Punjab.
"He was engaged in promoting terror activities of the proscribed KTF, which is also involved in kidnapping and killing people of other faiths to spread fear and disharmony in Punjab,” the official said.
The case related to the attack on the priest was initially registered at Phillaur police station and was later taken over by NIA on October 8, 2021.
The NIA has filed two charge sheets in the case and a non-bailable warrant was issued on July 1, 2022 against Dala by the special court.
Later, on May 31, 2022, a Red Corner Notice was issued against him.
