The National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at multiple locations in various states across northern India on Tuesday in an ongoing case against gangs and their nexus with terror groups, said sources.

The raids were conducted in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to dismantle and disrupt the emerging nexus between terrorists, gangsters, drug smugglers and traffickers based in India and Abroad.

Separate teams of NIA in coordination with state police forces conducted these raids simultaneously at certain locations of the gangsters based on some specific inputs, a source privy to the development told ANI.

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On September 12, the NIA had conducted similar searches at 50 locations in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and NCR region. The NIA crackdown followed the launch of investigations against this nexus by the anti-terror agency after the re-registration of two cases, earlier registered by Delhi Police, on August 26 this year.

A few of the most desperate gang leaders and their associates based in India and abroad, who are spearheading and carrying out such terror and criminal activities were identified and booked.

"The recent sensational crimes and extortion calls by criminal syndicates and gangsters to businessmen, professionals including doctors etc., had created a widespread scare among the people," the NIA had said earlier." These gangs were using cyber-space to publicise these crimes to create terror among the public at large." The NIA investigations also revealed that such criminal acts were not isolated local incidents but there was a deep-rooted conspiracy amongst terrorists, gangsters and drug smuggling cartels and networks, who were operating from both within and outside the country.

"Many gang leaders and members had fled from India and were now operating from foreign countries, including Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia and Australia," said the NIA when it first time carried out a mega raid against such gangs as reported by Zee News.