Tahawur Rana Extradition, Pahalgam & Delhi Terror Probes Mark Milestone Year
New Delhi, Dec 31 :
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a series of landmark successes in 2025, maintaining an impressive conviction rate of over 92 percent while delivering decisive results in high-profile terror cases, including the Pahalgam and Delhi terror attacks and the extradition of 26/11 Mumbai attacks plotter Tahawwur Rana.
According to the year-end press release issued by the NIA as per news agency Kashmir News Corner — KNC, the agency successfully extradited Tahawwur Rana from the United States in April 2025 to face trial in India for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which claimed 166 lives. The extradition marked a crucial breakthrough in unraveling the larger conspiracy behind the 26/11 attacks.
In another significant achievement, the NIA secured the deportation of gangster Anmol Bishnoi, a close aide and brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, who had been absconding since 2022. The agency said efforts are underway to ensure a speedy trial in cases linked to terrorist conspiracies by organised criminal syndicates operating from within and outside India.
The NIA also concluded its investigation into the deadly Pahalgam terror attack by filing a chargesheet against seven accused, including Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its affiliate The Resistance Front (TRF). The chargesheet included three terrorists involved in religion-based targeted killings who were later neutralised by security forces.
In the Delhi Red Fort area car blast case, which resulted in 11 deaths and multiple injuries, the NIA arrested nine accused within two months of the attack, marking swift progress in the probe.
During 2025, the agency intensified action against Left Wing Extremism (LWE), registering nine cases and chargesheeting 34 accused as part of the national goal to make India Naxal-free by March 31, 2026. The NIA worked closely with state police forces and central armed police forces, including the CRPF.
Official data revealed that the NIA registered 55 cases during the year and arrested a total of 276 accused across various categories, including Jihadi terror, LWE, Khalistan-related cases, gangster syndicates and other organised crimes. The agency secured 66 convictions and chargesheeted 320 accused in 2025, while attaching 12 properties and assets linked to terror and criminal networks.
Nationwide searches led to the arrest of 200 accused involved in major terror and organised crime networks, including cases related to designated Khalistani terrorists such as Goldy Brar.
The agency also made substantial headway in cracking down on human trafficking syndicates, including cases involving the ‘dunki’ route, cross-border trafficking of Bangladeshi and Myanmar nationals, and Indian youth trapped in cyber slavery networks in Laos and Cambodia.
Throughout the year, the NIA intensified investigations against ISIS, Al-Qaeda, HuT and other Jihadi organisations, alongside focused action against pro-Khalistani elements and their nexus with organised crime. Investigations were also carried out against insurgent groups such as ULFA-I and NSCN-IM in the North-East.
Major breakthroughs were reported in several targeted killing cases across the country, while convictions in the Pakistan-linked Vishakhapatnam Navy espionage case added to the agency’s achievements. The NIA also pursued multiple Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) cases.
To enhance its operational capabilities, the NIA introduced new databases, including a Lost/Looted Government Weapons Database and an Organised Crime Network Database, aimed at real-time information sharing among security agencies. Advanced workshops on cryptocurrency investigations and continued infrastructure expansion further strengthened the agency’s capacity to combat evolving terror and crime threats, the statement added. (KNC)