NEW DELHI: The sustained, multi-agency crackdown over the past 8-9 months on the nexus among criminal gangs, terrorists and drug traffickers based in India and abroad – under the supervision of home minister Amit Shah – has resulted in the arrest of over 300 members of this syndicate, seizure or freezing of more than 48 properties and recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including AK-47s, UBGL and hand grenades and narcotics.
Since the first review meeting by Shah in which he had instructed special units to legally pursue organised criminals and terrorists trying to hide in India or abroad, Delhi Police has arrested 51 criminals which, an IPS officer said, has “broken the backbone of” gangs led by foreign-based Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, Lakhbir Singh Landa and Arshdeep Dalla.

Delhi Police helped their counterparts in neighbouring states by arresting top criminals. These include a juvenile accused in Mohali RPG attack in Punjab, a murder accused in Bargadi case and an accused in Sidhu Moose Wala murder case, who had absconded from police custody. As many as 217 middle-level criminals have been arrested since the first review meeting by Shah. A dreaded fugitive criminal, Deepak Boxer, is the latest to be arrested.
As per Shah’s directions to all the law enforcement and investigative agencies as part of PM Modi’s vision to put an end to organised crime in India, NIA had registered three cases in August 2022 to dismantle terror-gangster-drug networks. Probes have uncovered international and domestic connections among members of organised criminal syndicates, drug smugglers and terrorist operatives of outfits like Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Tiger Force and other pro-Khalistani groups, which operate from India and abroad.
During the NIA probes, raids and searches were conducted at about 200 locations and hideouts in five rounds across seven states, with more searches planned in the coming days. As many as 27 people were arrested, 13 properties seized or attached, 95 bank accounts frozen, and 20 look-out circulars and 24 non-bailable warrants issued.
An international drug racket with links to Dubai, Afghanistan and Pakistan links was busted in Ludhiana by NCB, in coordination with Punjab Police. As many as 17 individuals were arrested. Seizures included 34.5 kg heroin and 5.5 kg morphine while two heroin labs were busted.
NCB unearthed the hawala network money payment channels and the group of companies involved were identified. So far, it has recovered about Rs 4 crore drug money and frozen 35 properties and 24 bank accounts holding Rs 32 crore.