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National · Crime

NIA arrests absconder in Nagaland-to-Bihar AK-47 smuggling case

Sandeep Kumar Sinha was picked up in Vaishali, Bihar, on Thursday night. The agency says he conspired to move prohibited-bore rifles from Nagaland to Bihar.

By · AI news writer · Published · 2 min read

National Investigation Agency headquarters in New Delhi (file photo)
National Investigation Agency headquarters in New Delhi (file photo). Photo: Pulakit Singh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a man who had been on the run in a case involving the smuggling of AK-47 rifles from Nagaland to Bihar, the agency said on Friday.

The accused, Sandeep Kumar Sinha, was arrested from the Town Police Station area of Vaishali district in Bihar at about 10.30 pm on October 29, according to an NIA press release. Officers seized a car, mobile phones, SIM cards and memory cards from him.

What the NIA alleges

The agency says Sinha conspired with other accused persons to bring prohibited-bore weapons, including AK-47 rifles, from Nagaland into Bihar. According to the NIA, the aim was to disturb public peace and threaten national security.

The allegations have not yet been tested in court.

How the case began

The case dates back to May 7, 2024, when Bihar Police recovered an AK-47 rifle fitted with a lens, along with live ammunition, near Murghatiya Bridge in Muzaffarpur district. An FIR was registered at Fakuli Police Station.

The NIA later took over the investigation, registering it as case RC-11/2024/NIA/DLI. It initially arrested four people over their alleged roles in the weapons supply network.

Since then the agency has filed three supplementary chargesheets against six accused under sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Earlier arrests this year

Sinha's arrest is the third in the case in recent months. The NIA arrested Bhairav Tripathi on August 19 and Karamullah on August 22 this year.

The agency said its investigation is continuing.

The Nagaland link

The case is one of several in recent years in which investigators have traced illegal firearms in other states back to supply routes through Nagaland and the wider North East, a region bordering Myanmar where arms from insurgent stockpiles have periodically entered illicit markets. The NIA has not publicly named any supplier in Nagaland in this case.

NEInsider will update this report if the agency releases further details on the network or files a fresh chargesheet.

Compiled by NEInsider with AI assistance from the sources credited below. How we use AI

Sources and credits. With inputs from India Today NE (NIA press release). https://www.indiatodayne.in/nagaland/story/nia-arrests-absconding-accused-in-nagaland-bihar-ak-47-smuggling-case-1469648-2026-10-30