Easter Sunday bombings:First overseas case for India’s NIA

• A two-member team of the NIA visited Sri Lanka in May

The Easter Sunday bombings case in Sri Lanka is likely to be the first case for the NIA to probe after Parliament amended an Act empowering it to investigate terror cases abroad, the Times of India reported.  

Over 250 people were killed when nine suicide bombers carried out a series of blasts in Sri Lanka on April 21.   

With Parliament giving its nod to the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill on July 17 and the Law Ministry issuing a notification to this effect on July 25, the first case to be investigated abroad is going to be the Sri Lanka blasts, a Home Ministry official privy to the development said. 

 
A two-member team of the NIA had visited Sri Lanka in May and had held discussions with authorities there about claims that some terrorists, owning allegiance to the dreaded terror group ISIS, had travelled to India, including Kashmir.   The amended Act gives powers to the NIA to probe terror attacks targeting Indians, Indian interests abroad and having links 
with India.   

The latest amendments will enable the NIA to additionally investigate offences related to human trafficking, counterfeit currency, manufacture or sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism, and offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. A special court in New Delhi will preside over such cases, according to the amendments.   

Before the Easter Sunday bombings, India had alerted the island nation that ISIS terrorists were planning to carry out strikes there.   

India had been regularly sharing intelligence inputs about a possible terror attack in Sri Lanka targeting the Indian High Commission and religious places there, officials said.   

A special court in New Delhi will preside over such cases