NIA Identifies 43 Khalistan Supporters Linked To Attacks On Indian Missions Abroad

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified 43 Khalistan supporters, who are allegedly involved in the violent attack on the Indian High Commission in London during a protest on 19 March.

Those identified by the anti-terror probe agency also include the Khalistani supporters who targeted the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on 2 July.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said that throughout the year, they focused on the attacks on the Indian High Commissions in Ottawa and London, as well as the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, US.

These incidents were part of the NIA's focus on crimes against Indian interests overseas.

Over 50 raids and searches were conducted by the agency in an attempt to uncover the conspiracy behind these attacks on Indian missions abroad.

“The attacks involved criminal trespass, vandalism, damage to public property, and attempts to cause hurt to Indian officials and damage the Consulate building through acts of arson. NIA has used several innovative methods of investigation, including crowd sourcing of information while investigating the larger conspiracy of attacks on Indian Missions, which resulted in identification of 43 suspects. The NIA has stepped up its investigation in these cases in recent months and examined more than 80 persons in India suspected to be part of the conspiracy of the attacks,” an NIA spokesperson said, Indian Express reported.

Sharing details of their overall conviction rate, the spokesperson said the agency has maintained a robust overall conviction rate of 94.70 per cent, underscoring the efficacy of its investigational and prosecution expertise, effectiveness and prowess.

This figure is a slight increase from the previous year's conviction rate of 94.39 percent, further emphasizing their proficiency.

“The NIA had this year arrested 625 persons as compared to 490 in 2022 — a nearly 28 per cent increase. Among 625, 65 were arrested in ISIS cases, 114 for jihadi terror cases, 45 in human trafficking cases, 28 for terrorist and organised criminal activity and 76 in Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) cases,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

In 2023, the NIA filed 68 cases spanning a broad range of terror-related incidents. The cases included 18 jihadi terror incidents across several states, three cases from Jammu and Kashmir, 12 LWE cases, seven cases tied to terrorist and organised criminal activity in Punjab, five cases from the Northeast, and two cases linked to Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), according to the spokesperson.

The previous year, 2022, saw the NIA file 73 cases, marking a 19.67 per cent rise from the 61 cases in 2021 and setting a new record for the agency.

“The number of persons chargesheeted and convicted stood at 513 and 74, respectively, as against 459 and 79 in 2022,” the spokesperson said, adding that the NIA managed to track down and arrest 47 absconders in 2023, 14 more than last year.

The Union Home Ministry has reportedly handed over 324 cases to the NIA from 1 December 2018 to 30 November 2023.

In 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seized 37 properties valued at Rs 10.53 crore. The following year, this figure rosed to 240, including 156 bank accounts totaling Rs 55.90 crore, predominantly in relation to Jammu and Kashmir cases.

The seized properties were owned by individuals and suspects involved in terrorism, Left Wing Extremism (LWE), explosives, and other significant cases.

The seizures were executed under various clauses of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P)A), and comprised 12 properties — including 4 bank accounts - valued at Rs 1.5 crore, belonging to six identified 'individual terrorists'.