NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently apprehended Vikas Singh, a key associate of the notorious incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Singh was arrested for his involvement in harboring members of Bishnoi's gang who are implicated in various criminal cases, including the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali. The NIA conducted the arrest on Tuesday.
Vikas Singh, a resident of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, admitted to providing shelter to Deepak Surakhpur and Divyanshu, residents of Faizabad, who executed the RPG attack on the intelligence headquarters in Mohali in May 2022. According to the NIA, Vikas revealed that he had allowed Deepak Surakhpur and Divyanshu to stay at his house in the village of Devgarh, Ayodhya, and his flat on multiple occasions.
The NIA statement disclosed that Vikas Singh is a suspect in ten criminal cases, involving charges such as murder, attempted murder, violation of the arms act, and participation in gangster activities. The investigations conducted by the NIA unveiled that Vikas was introduced to Deepak Surakhpur by Vicky Midhukhera, another associate and friend of Lawrence Bishnoi. Vikas, who already knew Divyanshu, connected him with the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate.
Furthermore, the duo was involved in numerous targeted killings, including those of businessman Sanjay Biyani in Nanded and Rana Kandhowalia in Punjab. Vikas Singh also provided shelter to Rinku, another accused, following the murder of Rana Kandhowalia.
The NIA investigation uncovered that Vikas Singh had also harbored gangsters or associates from other states, such as Rinku, Rajpal (MP), and Bhati (MP).
This case pertains to a conspiracy orchestrated by members of the Lawrence Bishnoi criminal syndicates and gangs, both within India and abroad. The objective of the conspiracy was to raise funds and recruit young individuals to carry out terrorist acts in Delhi and other parts of the country.
The investigations thus far have revealed that the conspiracy was conceived or is being devised within different state prisons and executed by a well-organized network of operatives based abroad.
The NIA has already established the involvement of this terror syndicate in several high-profile terrorism cases, including the targeted killing of Pradeep Kumar, a follower of Dera Sacha Sauda in 2022, the murder of Raju Thehth in Sikar, Rajasthan, the assassination of renowned Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, and the RPG attack in Punjab in May 2022.
As of now, the NIA has arrested a total of 15 suspects and has filed charges against 14 individuals, including Lawrence Bishnoi, in connection with this terror-gangster conspiracy case. The other accused named in the chargesheet are Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri, Virender Pratap Kala Rana, Joginder Singh, Rajesh Kumar alias Raju Mota, Raj Kumar alias Raju Basodi, Anil Chippi, Naresh Yadav Naresh Sethi alias Seth, Mohammad Shahbaz Ansari alias Shahbaz Ansari alias Shehzad, Satinderjit Singh alias Satwinder alias Goldy Brar, Sachin Thapan alias Sachin Thapan Bishnoi, Anmol Bishnoi alias Bhanu, and Vikramjit Singh alias Vikram Brar.
The NIA filed the chargesheet in this case on March 24, 2023, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, UA(P) Act 1967, and the Arms Act, 1959. The NIA continues its investigations into this conspiracy as part of its ongoing efforts to dismantle the burgeoning nexus between terrorists, gangsters, and drug smugglers while eradicating their sources of funding and infrastructure.
ALSO WATCH: