New Delhi: Probing the 2024 Neemrana hotel firing attack in Rajasthan, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at 10 locations in the desert state, Haryana and Delhi to uncover the incident’s link with Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Arsh Dalla, an official said on Monday.
The attack, in which 35 shots were fired on September 8 last year, all around the premises of Hotel Highway King, was aimed at terrorising and threatening people, said the NIA.
The two attackers were subsequently identified as members of the Bambiah gang, having connections with Dalla’s terrorist-gangster network. They used prohibited weapons and also threatened the hotel’s owner and manager with extortion. The manager had also earlier received several threatening calls from international numbers.
During the latest searches conducted on Saturday, the NIA, which had taken over the case in December, seized several electronic devices and other incriminating materials during the searches conducted at the premises of accused/suspects engaged in promoting violent criminal activities.
These accused/suspects had been involved in providing financial and logistical support in carrying out acts of violence and terror at the behest of designated terrorist Arsh Dalla and his associate Dinesh Gandhi, the NIA said.
Dalla’s associates have been resorting to extortion through such terror and violent acts to raise funds for banned Khalistani terrorist outfits, NIA investigations have revealed. Businessmen and other targets were identified by these gangsters and their aides, who would threaten and coerce the targets into paying off huge sums.
Earlier on May 1, the NIA searched multiple premises linked with gangster Happy Passian who is connected with Khalistani terrorist Harwinder Singh @ Rinda, at various locations across Punjab in a case of Babbar Khalsa International operatives’ conspiracy.
A total of 17 locations came under the NIA’s scanner in the districts of Gurdaspur, Batala, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, and Faridkot, leading to the seizure of several incriminating materials, including mobile phones, digital devices, and documents.
The searches were conducted at the premises of suspects linked to Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passian and his nodes based in various countries. Harpreet Singh is currently in the US, and is a key operative of Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist Rinda.
Harpreet Singh is believed to be the mastermind behind a series of recent grenade attacks at various police stations and police posts in the states of Punjab and Haryana.
Rinda’s network of operatives, spread across various countries, has been actively involved in recruiting India-based associates for carrying out terrorist activities, as per NIA investigations.
(IANS)
