New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested the linchpin of a multi-state illegal arms and ammunition trafficking case, originating from Bihar and spread across various parts of Northern India, the anti-terror agency said on Wednesday.
The arrest of the accused Kamalkant Verma alias Uncle Ji from Patna, Bihar, is the 11th in the case RC-01/2025/NIA/PAT.
According to the NIA, the investigations have revealed that Kamalkant played a vital role in the syndicate, involved in procuring ammunition illegally from various gun houses of Haryana and other places.
“The ammunition was then smuggled to Uttar Pradesh and further delivered to Bihar and other parts of the country,” the agency said in its press note.
Kamalkant’s arrest comes days after the searches conducted by NIA at 23 locations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana had led to the arrest of four other accused – Ravi Ranjan, Shashi Prakash, Vijay Kalra and Kush Kalra.
The searches, conducted on December 4, had also resulted in multiple arms and ammunition seizures.
“Twenty-two teams of NIA conducted simultaneous searches at seven locations in Nalanda, Sheikhpura and Patna districts of Bihar, 13 locations in Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh, and two locations in Kurukshetra district of Haryana,” the NIA had said.
“The teams seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition of different bores, over Rs. 1 crore in cash, several digital and electronic devices containing incriminating data, incriminating documents including fake and suspicious identity documents, during the searches,” it added.
Following the searches, NIA arrested Shashi Prakash from Patna, Ravi Ranjan Singh from Sheikhpura, and Vijay Kalra and Kush Kalra from Kurukshetra for their active involvement in the larger syndicate engaged in the trafficking, sale and purchase of illegal ammunition. The ammunition was being smuggled from Haryana to Uttar Pradesh, and further delivered to Bihar and other parts of the country as part of the conspiracy
The latest arrest marks an important step in NIA’s ongoing investigation into the case, and in its efforts to dismantle the supply chain linked with illegal arms and ammunition smuggling in North India.
(IANS)
