NIA seeks US help in Indian consulate attack case

New Delhi : National Investigation Agency (NIA) has requested for evidence from the US -- under mutual legal assistance treaty -- in San Francisco Indian consulate attack case. NIA sources said that that 45 faces that were zeroed in through CCTV footage scanning have also been mostly identified through crowd sourcing.

On September 21, the NIA had released the pictures of 10 wanted accused in the March 2023 case of attack and vandalism at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, US and has sought information about them from the general public.

The agency has issued three separate “Request for Identification and Information” notices against the wanted accused, seeking any information of importance that could lead to their arrest or apprehension. While two of the notices carry photographs of two accused each, the third notice shows pictures of the other six accused allegedly involved in the case.

The attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco had taken place in the intervening night of 18 and 19 March 2023 when some pro-Khalistan entities trespassed into the consulate and tried to burn down the Consulate.

On the same day, slogan-shouting Khalistani supporters had broken through the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and put up two so-called Khalistani flags in the Consulate premises, damaged the consulate building, assaulted and caused injuries to the consulate officials.

Further in the intervening night of July 1 and 2, some accused person trespassed into the consulate and attempted to set the consulate on fire while consulate officials were inside the building.

The NIA had initiated a probe in the matter after registering a case on June 16 this year under several sections of IPC, UA (P) Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. A team of NIA had visited San Francisco in the month of August for the investigation of the case.