In New Delhi: Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a ‘designated person terrorist’ living in Canada, had two homes seized by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday in a huge operation to further tighten its noose around him.
According to an NIA officer speaking to IANS, “We have seized two properties of Pannu in Punjab’s Amritsar and Chandigarh.” According to the source, the agency has seized Pannu’s property, including 46 Kanals of agricultural land in his ancestral hamlet of Khankot, which is situated on the fringes of the Amritsar district. The representative said that his residence in Chandigarh’s Sector 15 had also been seized.
Additionally, Pannu’s property was marked with a hoarding by the agency sleuths alerting him of their action against terrorism.
The anti-terror investigation agency said in a statement that it had taken possession of the self-described general counsel’s home and property in Amritsar, Punjab, and Chandigarh, U.T., respectively. One-fourth of a part of House 2033, Sector 15/C, Chandigarh (U.T.), is among the properties attached.
According to the agency, these properties were previously attached as a result of two other government decrees.
The assets have now been seized on the court’s instructions in a case it registered on April 5, 2020 under sections 120-B, 124-A, 153-A, 153-B, and 17, 18 and 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, in accordance with section 33(5) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The confiscation orders were issued by the NIA Special Court, SAS Nagar, Mohali, and according to an NIA spokeswoman, the move against Pannun is a significant boost to the nation’s efforts to combat the terror and separatist network that is being run from multiple nations, including Canada.
The official claimed that Pannu has been under NIA’s scrutiny since 2019, when the anti-terror organisation filed its first case against the terrorist. Pannu has been playing a significant role in promoting and commissioning terrorist acts and activities, as well as sowing fear and terror in Punjab and throughout the rest of the country through his threats and intimidation tactics.
Pannu was given non-bailable arrest warrants by the NIA Special Court on February 3, 2021, and on November 29 of the previous year, he was classified as a “Proclaimed Offender (PO)”.
The spokesman said, “NIA investigations have shown that Pannu’s organisation, Sikhs for Justice, was abusing the cyberspace to radicalise impressionable youth and to incite them to commit terrorist crimes and activities.”
Pannu was revealed to be the “main handler and controller of the SFJ” during the NIA investigation.
The Government of India proclaimed the SFJ to be a “Unlawful Association” by notice on July 10, 2019. In an effort to undermine the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the nation, Pannu, who the Indian government designated as a “designated individual terrorist” on July 1, 2020, has been actively encouraging youth and gangsters in the Punjab to fight for an independent state of Khalistan on social media, according to an NIA investigation.
The person said that Pannu has recently made headlines for making overt threats against top Indian diplomats and government officials in open venues.
The NIA statement said that “he had also threatened Canadian Hindus a few days before, requesting them to leave Canada and accusing them of taking a “jingoistic stance” by supporting with India.
The case was first reported as FIR No. 152 on October 19, 2018 at Sultanwind Police Station in Amritsar (City) under a number of IPC provisions, and it was subsequently forwarded to the NIA.
