NIA's 2023 key successes in counter-terrorism and law enforcement

In 2023 the National Investigation Agency NIA achieved significant milestones in combating terrorism gangrelated activities drug smuggling human trafficking and other crimes against national interests Their successes included Conviction rate The NIA boasted a remarkable conviction rate of 9470 per cent with 625 arrests and the seizure of assets valued at approximately Rs 56 croreAn insider at the NIA highlighted We targeted ISIS Kashmiri militants and various terrorgang networks aggressively throughout the year This crackdown resulted in multiple arrests and disruptions within these groupsInternational attacksThe NIA focused on resolving offences against Indian interests abroad conducting over 50 raids to unravel the conspiracy behind attacks on Indian missions in Ottawa London and San Francisco An officer said We employed innovative methods including crowdsourcing leading to the identification of 43 suspects involved in these attacksOperational expansionThe agency significantly increased its operations nationwide as compared with 490 accused arrested in 2022 the total number of arrests made by the NIA this year stood at 625 ndasha 28 per cent rise in arrests compared to the previous year These arrests covered various categories including 65 arrested in ISIS cases 114 arrested in jihadi terror cases 45 arrested in human trafficking 45 arrested in organised crime and 76 arrested in LeftWing Extremism LWEThe NIAs annual report highlighted We registered 68 cases encompassing Jihadi terror LWE terrorist activities in multiple states cases from the Northeast and fake Indian currency notesCrackdown highlightsThe agency successfully tracked down 47 absconders including key figures involved in significant cases such as the Attari border heroin seizure involving the smuggling of over 102 kgs of narcotics from Afghanistan via the IndiaPak borderAnother source from the NIA said Amritpal Singh alias Ammy Amrik Singh Manpreet Singh alias Peeta and Mandeep Singh were deported from the Philippines Vikram Brar was arrested upon deportation from the UAE Our searches and raids increased from 957 in 2022 to 1040 in 2023 demonstrating our intensified effortsTerror funding and asset seizure The NIA intensified its focus on seizing properties amassed through illegal activities significantly increasing property attachments compared to the previous yearAn official said Our focus extended to Jammu and Kashmir with a rise from 37 properties worth Rs 1053 crore in 2022 to 240 properties including 156 bank accounts totalling Rs 5590 crore in 2023 The attachments made under various provisions of UAPA included 12 properties of which 04 were bank accounts worth Rs 15 crore of six listed lsquoIndividual TerroristsrsquoCrackdown on networksThe NIA made considerable strides in dismantling terroristgangster alliances and arresting significant individuals involved in various terrorist activities A senior official from the NIA said In December 15 accused were arrested following raids at 44 locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka resulting in the seizure of substantial incriminating materials Another crackdown in December led to the arrest of 8 ISIS Ballari operatives thwarting the banned global terrorist organisations plans for countrywide terror acts particularly IED blasts Similar actions against radicalised ISIS and HuT modules occurred in separate cases in Jabalpur and Bhopal in SeptemberDismantling the terroristgangster nexus remained a priority in NIA investigations ldquoMoreover our consistent coordination with international agencies resulted in actions against foreign nodes of the syndicate The arrest of Deepak Ranga the prime accused in the RPG attack on the intelligence headquarters of Punjab police stands as a significant achievement Ranga wanted in multiple terrorism and criminal cases was the chief executor of terrorist activities for Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda in Pakistan and Lakhbir Singh Landa in Canada Both are members of the proscribed terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa International BKI and are designated lsquoIndividual Terroristsrsquo Another crucial action was the arrest of Manpreet Peeta the righthand man of the designated lsquoIndividual Terroristrsquo Arsh Dala responsible for widespread terrorist and extortion activities while based in the Philippines added the official Regarding LeftWing Extremism a senior official said We carried out massive crackdowns against CPI Maoist and PLFI sympathisers leading to multiple arrests and seizuresIn a major breakthrough NIA arrested Dinesh Gope the PLF Supremo a splinter group of CPI Maoist in May 2023 He was absconding for two decades and was wanted in more than 150 cases and was carrying a cumulative reward of Rs 30 lakh announced by the State Police and NIA The agency also targeted human trafficking networks especially along the IndoBangladesh border resulting in key arrestsDesignations and bansSeveral terrorist organisations were designated and banned based on NIA proposals The NIA concluded We organised the antiterror conference showcasing our dedication to evolving counterterrorism strategies including cyber terror and transnational crime prevention9470 per centConviction rate NIA boasted of in 2023