NIA likely to go FBI way, govt may empower probe agency to investigate abroad

New Delhi: A proposal has been mooted by the government for arming National Investigation Agency (NIA) with a provision to register a case and investigate if an Indian is killed or injured in a terror act overseas.[caption id=“attachment_3112146” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  NIA may soon get mandate to probe abroad if needed. AFP[/caption] This information was shared by Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir while replying to written questions in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. “A proposal to enable the NIA to take up investigation of scheduled offences committed beyond India is being put out for public consultations,” he said in a brief reply to a question asked by BJP member Anurag Thakur whether government is considering to grant powers to NIA to conduct probe on attacks on Indians and properties abroad. Such a proposal is available with probe agencies like FBI and Scotland Yard and federal agencies of Germany and Israel who can carry out parallel probe abroad when their nationals are killed in a terror attack. FBI had registered separate cases in 1995 kidnapping of foreign tourists in Kashmir, IC-814 hijacking case and Mumbai terror attack as its citizens were either injured or killed in these terror acts. According to officials, such a proposal will depend on relations to the particular country where the crime has taken place. A senior official said once such a provision is included in the NIA Act, it would help the agency in quickly moving a request to the foreign country for allowing its team to carry out a probe.