Centre planning '360 degree assault' on organised crime networks, says Amit Shah; launches updated NIA databases
NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched two updated databases of the National Investigative Agency (NIA) --the Organised Crime Network Database and the Weapons Database for lost, looted & recovered arms. He was inaugrating a two-day 'Counter-Terrorism Conference' organised by the agency. In his inaugral address, Shah stated that terrorism is the biggest threat to humanity and everyone must work together to defeat it. Under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of zero-tolerance against terrorism, this annual conference has become a platform to deal with emerging threats, he said. The minister noted that in the last three years, the government has moved forward in the direction of making this conference an annual tradition and it is not merely a forum for discussion, but actionable points emerge from here and the NIA along with all related agencies of the states continuously work throughout the year towards their implementation. As a result, we are succeeding in building a strong anti-terrorism grid across the country. The objective of this conference is also to analyse all terrorist incidents that occurred in the country and the world in the past year, along with the intelligence received about them and to enhance our counter-terrorism capabilities accordingly, Shah said. Noting that the landscape of terrorism in the world has been changing due to the use of technology, Shah said, We too must prepare to prevent this by anticipating invisible future challenges and countering them. The updated crime manual prepared by the NIA was released today. I request all the Director Generals of Police from the states to form a team in their respective states and ensure that they study this manual for investigation and prosecution purposes, he added. Speaking on the updated database on organised crime networks, the home minister explained that such networks initially operate for the purpose of ransom and extortion, but when their leaders flee abroad and settle there, they automatically come into contact with terrorist organisations. They then use the proceeds from such crimes to spread terrorism within the country, he said. The conference was attended by Union Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the Union Home Secretary, the Secretary R&AW, the Director General of NIA and many other dignitaries. Senior police officers from States/UTs, officers from Central agencies/Departments dealing with issues related to Counter Terrorism and experts from related fields such as law, forensics and technology, were also present.
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