NIA approaches MHA for shifting gangsters to Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The NIA is also exploring the possibility of transferring the gangsters to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

New Delhi: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has approached the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding transfer of 10-12 gangsters who are currently lodged in Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana jails over suspicion of running their criminal syndicates from inside jails.

Sources said that the NIA had previously requested the transfer of 25 gangsters from North Indian jails to southern states in a letter to the MHA. Among the individuals on the list is Lawrence Bishnoi, a prime accused in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. Initially, the NIA had proposed to shift the gangsters to South India.

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However, the process of shifting is lengthy and the agency needs to seek the permission from the respective state governments. As an alternative, the NIA is considering the option of relocating the gangsters to the Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam, where Amritpal Singh, the chief of Waris Punjab De, and his associates are currently imprisoned.

The NIA is also exploring the possibility of transferring the gangsters to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. As a Union territory under the administration of the MHA, the procedure for relocation would be easy compared to the process involving the state governments. The agency is currently seeking legal opinions on this matter.

In March, Lawrence Bishnoi, who was then incarcerated in Bathinda jail, gave a video interview to a news channel a day before Sidhu Moosewala’s death anniversary.

The Punjab government clarified that the interview was not conducted in the Bathinda jail or any other jail in Punjab.

Last August, the NIA filed two FIRs against multiple gangsters in northern states, alleging a conspiracy by an Indian and international crime syndicate to raise funds, recruit youths for terrorist attacks, and carry out sensational crimes. These crimes included targeted killings of prominent individuals with the intention to instill fear in the public.