NIA arrests 210 accused, delivers record 100% conviction rate in ‘24

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said it arrested 210 accused and delivered a record 100 per cent conviction rate in 2024.

As many as 27 absconding criminals were nabbed by the NIA during the year, the anti-terror probe agency said in a statement.

The successful investigation of several high-profile cases and a strong focus on tackling Left Wing Extremism (LWE) marked a year of many highs for the federal probe agency.

A total of 210 accused were arrested across key categories of crimes in 80 cases registered by the NIA in 2024, said the statement.

Of these cases, Left Wing Extremism and Northeast insurgency topped the list at 28 and 18 cases.

NIA’s impressive performance for 2024 was marked by convictions of 68 accused (in 25 cases) and charge-sheeting of 408 accused, the statement said.

A total of 137 properties/assets worth Rs 19.57 crore were attached during the year as part of the agency’s sustained efforts to dismantle various terrorist, gangster and other criminal networks.

Left Wing Extremism remained under NIA’s scanner throughout 2024, leading to the maximum of 69 arrests of the total 210 arrests made during the year.

Twenty eight cases of LWE were registered, and 12 chargesheets were filed against 64 accused in this category, the statement said.

Northeast insurgency was also high on NIA’s radar with 15 arrests.

The agency arrested 14 accused in connection with foreign-based Khalistani terrorist cases during the year, which saw 101 searches being conducted in these cases.

The total searches carried out across all kinds of cases in 2024 stood at 662.

Thirteen arrests were made in gangster related cases during the year, the NIA said.

The agency’s agile efforts in cracking terrorism cases were evident in the fact that it had filed chargesheet against Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wadhawa Singh

alias Babbar and five other terrorists in the murder of VHP leader Vikas Prabhakar alias Vikas Bagga in Punjab within months of the fatal attack, the

statement said.

The NIA charge-sheeted 10 accused, including Goldy Brar, in an extortion-related firing case. Key developments included the extradition of Tarsem Singh Sandhu from the UAE and Salman Khan from Rwanda.