NIA Intensifies Crackdown on North India's Illegal Arms Trafficking Network

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) intensified its crackdown on an illegal arms trafficking network, conducting searches at 10 locations in Bihar's Nalanda. This operation is part of a broader investigation into a multi-state arms smuggling syndicate. The NIA also extended custody of two Bangladeshi nationals linked to a separate case.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has ramped up efforts to dismantle an illegal arms and ammunition trafficking network with a series of raids across Bihar's Nalanda district. The operation, said to have been coordinated with the local police force, saw searches at 10 locations, as the NIA zeroes in on a sprawling syndicate that sprawls across several northern Indian states.

In a notable development, last December, the NIA arrested Kamalkant Verma, alias Uncle Ji, in Patna as the alleged ringleader in this case identified as RC-01/2025/NIA/PAT. Investigations revealed Verma's instrumental role in procuring illegal ammunition from gun houses in Haryana, with smuggled arms progressing through Uttar Pradesh to reach Bihar and other regions of the country.

This fresh wave of searches comes after previous successful operations on December 4, 2025, which resulted in the arrest of additional suspects and substantial seizures. In a related storyline, the NIA has also sought the extension of custody for two Bangladeshi nationals accused of murder. Arrested in March, these individuals allegedly fled to India post-crime and were intercepted at Bongaon near the Bangladesh border.

(With inputs from agencies.)