NIA likely to be given power to act on foreign soil

New Delhi: In a bid to provide more powers to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the government is contemplating to empower the agency by allowing it to probe in foreign countries.

“The home ministry is planning to amend the National Investigation Agency Act, enacted in 2008 after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, to give additional powers to the agency mandated to investigate all terror-related cases,” home ministry sources said.

As per the proposal, NIA will be given powers to investigate in foreign soil, with the permission of the host government.

The investigation agency may also be given special power to keep eyes on activities of modules of Middle-East terror group ISIS and Pakistan-based terror groups to ensure any attempt to harm India will be detected in advance.