The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has recently released a charge sheet highlighting the involvement of foreign-based terrorists in targeted killings in Punjab, India. The charge sheet indicates that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and other new emerging gang leaders formed syndicates with rival groups due to the need for sophisticated weapons that were not available in India.
The gangster-terrorist network posed a major challenge to the unity and integrity of the country since they had access to a vast pool of resources in the form of manpower and logistical support, and a readymade ecosystem. The shooters and executors in these cases were mainly from the Punjab region, and the primary conspirators were foreign terrorists. To ensure anonymous attacks, people who were unknown to the area and unaware of the targeted individuals’ background were recruited.
Foreign terrorists associated with pro-Khalistan groups reportedly provided shelter and support to individuals responsible for executing terror crimes, which posed a serious threat to India’s social harmony and unity. The Nabha jailbreak of 2016 was planned to free only the individuals whom terrorists deemed right people, highlighting the terrorist-gangster association developed inside the jail.
Gangsters such as Bishnoi formed an alliance with pro-Khalistan elements to satisfy their need for sophisticated weapons and to invest terror proceeds generated through existing extortion activities. These elements are trying to settle important gang members and executors abroad through partnerships with PKES, which create a symbiotic terrorist-gangster network between these groups.
The BKI targeted security installations, such as the Intelligence Headquarters of Punjab Police and Sarhali police station, using RPG terror attacks and IED blasts. Though the accused executioners came from outside Punjab, the harborers and logistical supporters were frequently from the state, and their gang handlers from abroad directly supervised them.
The charge sheet suggests a common strategy between gangsters and terrorists in multiple Indian states. The alliance helps gangsters obtain sophisticated weapons and aids terrorists in achieving their objectives, indicating the severe consequences of the association between the two. The NIA’s charge sheet highlights the need for a comprehensive national strategy to disrupt these gangster-terrorist networks and prevent further collaboration between them.
