The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday attached five properties as part of its ongoing action against gangsters active in organised crime, including that of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. “The properties attached include a house of Asif Khan in Delhi, a house and agricultural land at three different locations belonging to Surender Singh alias Chiku in Mahendragarh district of Haryana,” an NIA spokesperson said. These attachments and seizures come in the wake of the searches in February at 76 locations linked to gangsters and their associates in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi-NCR. The action pertains to cases registered by the NIA against three major organised crime syndicates under UAPA in August 2022. “These syndicates had spread mafia-style criminal networks in northern states and were involved in many sensational crimes, including murder of Moosewala and large-scale extortions from businessmen and professionals.” the spokesperson said. “Asif Khan was providing weapons and logistics support to the gangsters,” spokesperson said. Surender alias Chiku is a close associate of Naresh Sethi, Anil Chippi and Raju Basodi, who were earlier arrested by NIA. “Surender had been involved in multiple cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion. He was instrumental in investing the proceeds of crime in real estate and other businesses,” the probe agency alleged. The NIA has found in their probe that gangsters based in Canada, Punjab and even inside jails are allegedly threatening Punjabi singers to release exclusive songs on YouTube channels run by their associates and using the money generated from views to procure illegal weapons from abroad for targeted killings in India.
