NIA Charges Four in Weapon Smuggling Plot Linked to Naxals

The National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet against four accused for supplying weapons to the Naxals and other criminal groups, as stated in an official release on Friday.

Those charged include Vikash Kumar, Satyam Kumar, Devmani Rai, and Ahmad Ansari, previously caught by local police under the Arms Act. According to the NIA, which took over the investigation in May last year, the accused conspired to procure and smuggle prohibited firearms to Naxalites, undermining national security, the statement read.

The supplementary chargesheet, submitted to the NIA Special Court in Patna, implicates all four under Section 120B of the IPC and Sections 13 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities Act, 1967. This follows a probe into the recovery of an AK-47 in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Vikash and Satyam had initially been found with parts of a rifle, leading to the recovery of more weapons and subsequent arrests.

(With inputs from agencies.)