Arms smuggling racket: NIA arrests key accused

Patna: In a significant development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended the key accused in an illegal arms and ammunition trafficking network that originated in Bihar and extended across northern India.

This arrest, announced by central agency officials here on Wednesday, marks a crucial development in the ongoing investigation.The arrested person, Kamalkant Verma, alias Uncle Jee, hails from Patna and is the 11th person to be detained in connection with this case. Kamalkant’s arrest is a crucial development in the NIA’s efforts to dismantle the extensive supply chain involved in the smuggling of illegal arms and ammunition throughout northern India.According to the NIA’s findings, Kamalkant played a central role in the syndicate, which was responsible for illegally procuring ammunition from various gun houses in Haryana and other locations. This ammunition was then smuggled into Uttar Pradesh and subsequently distributed to Bihar and other regions across the country.Kamalkant’s arrest follows a series of NIA operations, including searches at 23 locations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Haryana, which led to the arrest of four other suspects: Ravi Ranjan, Shashi Prakash, Vijay Kalra, and Kush Kalra.

These operations were part of a broader crackdown on the illegal arms trade.On Dec 4, the NIA deployed 22 teams to conduct simultaneous searches at multiple locations, including seven in Nalanda, Sheikhpura, and Patna districts of Bihar, 13 in Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh, and two in Kurukshetra district of Haryana. These searches resulted in the seizure of a substantial cache of arms and ammunition of various calibres, over Rs1 crore in cash, numerous digital and electronic devices containing incriminating data, and documents, including fake and suspicious identity papers.Following these operations, the NIA arrested Shashi Prakash from Patna, Ravi Ranjan Singh from Sheikhpura, and Vijay Kalra and Kush Kalra from Kurukshetra, all of whom were actively involved in the syndicate’s illegal activities.