14 locations in Punjab and Haryana raided by NIA in connection over attack on San Francisco's Indian consulate

Digital Desk: In connection with its investigation into the attacks on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco earlier this year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) revealed on Wednesday that it conducted raids at 14 locations in Punjab and Haryana, cited an official spokesperson.

The raids were conducted out in Moga, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Mohali, and Patiala in Punjab, and Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar in Haryana, according to the spokesperson.

"These places located in north India were raided to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the attacks on March 19 and July 2, involving criminal trespass, vandalism, damage to public property and attempts to cause hurt to the consulate officials and set the building on fire through acts of arson," the spokesperson for the consulate said in a release.

The spokesperson further stated that during the raid, digital data including information about the accused individuals, as well as other incriminating papers, were recovered.

The NIA is investigating a case it opened following an attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on March 18 and 19, when "some pro-Khalistani entities" allegedly trespassed into the consulate and attempted to burn it down.

 On July 2, a few people attempted to set fire to the Consulate building once more.

"The NIA has been probing the case with the aim to identify and prosecute the attackers and the assailants of the attacks and send a strong message to such anti-Indian elements," an official for the agency said.

In August, an NIA team travelled to San Francisco, California, to examine the cases of consulate attacks. "As part of its investigation, the NIA has crowd-sourced information to identify and collect information about US-based entities and individuals involved in these violent incidents," the spokesperson added.