Dharamshala/Shimla, July 6,
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has firmly denied reports suggesting that its recent search in McLeodganj, Himachal Pradesh, was connected to the security of His Holiness the Dalai Lama or any Khalistani terror financing case.
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A senior NIA official clarified that the raid, conducted on the morning of July 4, was strictly linked to an ongoing investigation into a human trafficking racket using the ‘US Dunki route’—a known method of illegal immigration.
The agency has been probing financial transactions and documents related to the suspect, the owner of a communication centre on Naoroji Road, Ward No. 4, near Dalai Lama Temple Road in McLeodganj.
Kangra Superintendent of Police Shalini Agnihotri confirmed that the raid was part of a case registered in Chandigarh, with a focus on suspected hawala transactions and financial links tied to illegal immigration networks.
“The NIA is examining the suspect’s bank accounts, property records, and other financial dealings in detail,” she added.
Rejecting speculation circulated in a section of the media, the NIA stated unequivocally that the search had no connection with the Dalai Lama or any activity linked to Khalistani terrorism. The agency emphasized that such reports were “completely false.”
The local police were duly informed and assisted the NIA team during the McLeodganj raid, which was carried out in coordination with a parallel operation in Delhi.
According to the NIA’s statement, the searches led to the arrest of two more individuals involved in the illegal human trafficking network operating via the donkey route. The case is being pursued from multiple investigative angles, indicating the agency’s broader effort to dismantle transnational immigration rackets.
Officials reiterated that the operation was a part of a coordinated national effort and urged media outlets to avoid misreporting that could spread misinformation or create unnecessary panic in sensitive regions.
