New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) The gangster-terror nexus has always been cited by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in its battle against terror that is threatening the security of both the Indian and international communities, and in a major boost to national security, the US FB) and Canada’s RCMP, under Operation Hard Ball, targeted the leadership of criminal gangs that were terrorising law-abiding citizens, particularly those targeting the Punjabi community.

This operation, which targeted gangs run by the gangs headed by Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara, is an important step in the battle against the gangster-terror nexus, officials say.

These gangs were not just targeting Indian nationals abroad and attempting radicalisation, but were also promoting the Khalistan cause, officials also pointed out.

For India, the battle against the Khalistan movement has been very important. It has taken years to convince the international community about the dangers of this movement thriving. These actions suggest that the Modi government has managed to impress upon the international community, especially in the United States and Canada, that all must work together to beat down the Khalistan movement.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the US action suggests that these groups, under the name of the Khalistan movement, were running transnational operations that were not just limited to one country, and the official said that these gangs had been running operations in Canada, the US, Europe, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia.

The official added that this is a major victory for the Indian agencies, and with such action, crimes such as the Khalistan issue, human trafficking, money laundering and narcotic smuggling would come largely under control.

Another official said that this action is a sign of what is set to come.

In Canada and the UK, the authorities have already started to act. This is largely due to the cooperation built under Prime Minister Modi.

The official said that the Modi government was quick to recognise this issue and warned these countries that backing such groups would have a detrimental effect. The US action led to the arrest of 37 persons who ran their global syndicates from jails in India. They have been charged in separate federal indictments which involve organised crimes and propaganda.

In addition to this, the US authorities have also seized narcotics that form the primary basis of the Khalistan movement. The movement thrives on the smuggling of drugs that is backed by the ISI.

In recent years, the ISI has been backing these elements to promote drug smuggling so that the movement is revived.

Post the operation, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said: “Operation Hard Ball” was the result of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates that engage in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, the trafficking of bulk quantities of narcotics across international borders.”

US First Assistant Attorney Bill Essayli said: “Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government.”

On the action against Bishnoi, the DoJ said: “In private, Bishnoi presided over a sweeping criminal enterprise that spanned multiple continents. Using contraband cellphones and other voice-over internet protocol devices smuggled into his jail cell, Bishnoi personally directed political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortions, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other crimes committed by members and associates of the Bishnoi enterprise worldwide.”

Officials say that this is not just any ordinary operation that the US authorities have carried out. The Khalistan and gangster-terror nexus has always been a major threat to several countries. However, some countries, for the sake of politics, had ignored this issue. However, India has made it clear that this issue is a major threat, and since the past several months, the cooperation between these countries and Indian agencies has been enhanced.

The Intelligence sharing has gone a long way in identifying this problem, and in the days to come, the Khalistan issue that is linked to drug and arms smuggling is bound to be tackled in a big manner, officials also say.

–IANS

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