Extortion and firing case: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday raided nine places in Punjab at the premises of associates of designated terrorist Goldy Brar in a case linked to Chandigarh-related extortion and firing. The anti-terror agency also appealed to the public for any information regarding the terrorist and his gang.
As per the NIA, the raids were conducted at the premises of those associated with foreign-based designated individual terrorist Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar and his gang. The places searched by the NIA included Mohali, Patiala, Hoshiarpur and Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab.
The searches come a day after the NIA filed a charge sheet against Brar and 11 others for their alleged involvement in the killing of Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi last year in Jaipur.
NIA releases telephone numbers for public
The NIA has provided telephone numbers for the public to report information about the terrorist and his associates or to disclose any threat calls received from the gang. "The information can be shared on landline number 0172-2682901 or mobile number 7743002947 (For Telegram/ WhatsApp). The identity of the informer will be kept a secret," reads an announcement released by the NIA.
The latest crackdown was part of the NIA's investigation into a case involving extortion demands and gunshots fired at a victim's residence in Chandigarh. The case was initially registered by local police on January 20, 2024, and the NIA took over the investigation on March 18.
NIA seized incriminating material during raids
"Today's searches covered the districts of Mohali, Patiala, Hoshiarpur and Fatehgarh Sahib, as part of NIA's sustained crackdown on individual terrorists engaged in criminal-terrorist activities in India. Incriminating material including digital devices have been seized," said the NIA in a statement.
Investigations so far have revealed that Goldy Brar, along with one Goldy of Rajpura (Punjab), had hatched a criminal conspiracy to generate funds by demanding extortion money from businessmen of Punjab, Chandigarh and surrounding areas, the anti-terror agency said. "They were also providing arms and ammunition to members of terrorist gangs formed by Brar. They were additionally involved in smuggling and sale of narcotics and channelisation of the proceeds from these sales."
As per NIA investigations, Goldy Brar and his associates based abroad were "continuously recruiting vulnerable youth into their gangs, using them for identification of extortion targets, firing in front of houses of those targets who refuse to pay the extortion money, and inducing them in sale and purchase of narcotics and weapon smuggling."
NIA further said it is continuing with its investigations to dismantle the terrorist gangster nexus operating in the country.
Brar, also known to be a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, had claimed responsibility for the murder of popular Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, on May 29, 2022.
(With agencies input)
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