NIA raids 31 spots in Punjab and Haryana to locate the culprits involved in the attacks on Indian HC in London

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), India’s anti-terror agency, conducted raids at 31 locations in the states of Punjab and Haryana to track down the perpetrators involved in the attacks on the Indian High Commission in London on March 19.

The searches were carried out on August 1 to locate, identify, and apprehend those responsible for the attack orchestrated by pro-Khalistani elements. The NIA stated that it is conducting thorough investigations to prevent any future breaches of security, disrespect to the Indian National Flag, or threats to Indian interests abroad.

During the operation, the agency seized digital data containing information related to the attackers and other incriminating documents. The house of Soni Kaur, a widow residing in Dhurkot Ransih village, Nihal Singh Wala sub-division of Moga district, was among those raided. According to the NIA, her son and daughter were allegedly involved in the protest outside the Indian High Commission in the UK.

The NIA team found 37 live cartridges during the search at Soni Kaur’s house. Kaur explained that her husband had a licensed gun, which they sold after his death, but they were unable to sell the cartridges.

Jagtar Singh, Kaur’s father-in-law, was the driver of the deceased militant preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a prominent figure in the Khalistani movement.

The raids followed an NIA team’s visit to the UK in May to gather evidence for the case. They also initiated “crowdsourcing of information” to identify and collect details about UK-based entities and individuals involved in the incident, leading to the identification of the attackers.

On March 19, about 50 people attacked the High Commission of India, showing disrespect to the Indian National Flag, damaging public property, and causing injuries to officials of the high commission.

The NIA stated that the attack was orchestrated by Gurcharan Singh, Dal Khalsa, United Kingdom; Avtar Singh Khanda of Khalistan Liberation Force (who recently died); Jasvir Singh, and several of their associates, both Indian and foreign nationals, all of whom were identified during the NIA investigations.