Tahawwur Rana's extradition, arrests in Pahalgam, Delhi attacks among NIA's key milestones in 2025

Arrest of several terrorists and their associates involved in Pahalgam attack and Red Fort car blast case, among National Investigation Agency's achievements

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) achieved a 92 per cent conviction rate in 2025, during which it also extradited 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana, besides arresting terrorists and their associates involved in the Pahalgam and the Delhi terror attacks.

Rana's extradition from the United States in April marked a significant breakthrough in the NIA's probe into the 26/11 terror attack conspiracy that left 166 people dead, according to an official statement.

The probe agency also secured the deportation of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's brother and close aide Anmol Bishnoi, who had been absconding since 2022, from the United States.

With its chargesheet filed against seven accused, including the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its affiliate 'The Resistance Front (TRF)' as a terrorist organisation, the NIA wrapped up the year with a major success in its investigation into the Pahalgam terrorist attack that shocked the nation in April 2025.

Among those chargesheeted were the three terrorists who had carried out the religion-based targeted killings in Pahalgam and were subsequently killed by the security forces, the statement said.

The NIA also made remarkable progress in its ongoing probe in the Red Fort car blast case in Delhi, in which nine accused were arrested in less than two months of the terrorist attack that killed 15 persons and left several others injured.

Action against Left Wing Extremism

The year further saw the counter-terror agency make major strides in its action against Left Wing Extremism (LWE), the statement issued by the agency said.

The Central government has set a goal to make India Naxal-free by March 31, 2026, and the NIA, along with State police forces and Central armed police forces such as the CRPF, has been actively pursuing the Naxal cadres in the country.

The total arrests made by the NIA across key categories of crimes in the 55 cases registered during the year stood at 276 (67 accused in Jihadi cases, 74 in LWE cases, 37 in northeast insurgency cases, 28 in Khalistan terrorism cases, 11 in gangster cases and 59 accused in 'other' cases category).

Nationwide searches on the premises of accused and suspects in major terror and organised crime networks throughout the year saw a total of 200 accused arrested, the anti-terror agency said, highlighting its achievements during the year.

These searches and arrests, which included clampdowns in cases related to designated Khalistani terrorists like Goldy Brar, were part of the NIA's concerted efforts to dismantle such networks.

Human trafficking networks

The NIA also made substantial progress in cases related to human trafficking networks that have perforated in several States in recent years.

A large number of vulnerable youths have been duped by these transnational syndicates, including via the notorious 'dunki' route, and the agency made several arrests in connection with these cases.

The NIA also focused on investigations against pro-Khalistani elements and their nexus with organised criminal syndicates, with 10 such cases intensively investigated during the year.

Keeping pace with the changes in the terror and crime landscape in the country, the NIA made some major technical and operational advancements aimed at strengthening its investigation and modernising its capabilities.

A 'Lost/Looted Recovered' Government Weapons Database and an Organised Crime Network Database were developed to improve the anti-terror capabilities not just of the NIA but of all the key security and investigative agencies across states through real-time information sharing, the statement said.

In a significant step towards fostering inter-agency collaboration and empowering law enforcement officials to fight the growing challenges posed by cryptocurrency-related criminal activities, the NIA conducted an advanced workshop on cryptocurrency investigations at the start of the year.

Infrastructural development and expansion remained an ongoing focus area of the agency's efforts to augment its capacity in its fight against terror, in line with its commitment to securing the nation against major terrorist and criminal networks, the statement added.