NIA's Major Breakthrough in Bihar Arms Smuggling Case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) executed a pivotal search operation at an accused's residence in Bihar, unearthing a cache of weapons related to a 2024 arms smuggling case, authorities disclosed on Thursday.

Conducted on Wednesday, the searches addressed the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition from Nagaland into various regions of Bihar, officials confirmed. Seized from Sandeep Kumar Sinha's Vaishali district home were a 9 mm pistol, an array of cartridges, weapon magazines, a double-barrel 12-bore gun, and a significant cash sum, per the NIA's statement.

Sandeep Kumar Sinha, alias Chhotu Lala, is entwined with the prime indicted, Vikash Kumar, and forms part of the broader arms smuggling network. The inquiry, transitioning to the NIA's oversight in the preceding August, follows previous arrests connected to the discovery of an AK-47 and live rounds by Bihar police.

(With inputs from agencies.)