The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an alleged arms trafficker from Bihar's Gaya district in connection with stealing weapon parts from Central Ordnance Depot (COD), Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, according to an official statement on Tuesday.
The accused has been identified as Rajeev Ranjan Singh aka Chunnu Singh, a resident of Atri in Bihar's Gaya district. He was arrested on Monday.
According to the investigating agency, three AK series weapons were seized in district Munger, Bihar from the house of one accused Rizwana Begum. The case was originally registered at Muffasil police station in Bihar on September 7, 2018. This case was later taken up and re-registered by the NIA for investigation.
The investigation in the case has revealed that prohibited AK series weapons were stolen and smuggled from the sheds of COD by serving and retired personnel of the depot and sold to arms traffickers based in Munger, Bihar which were eventually sold to various Naxal orgsations and criminal syndicates, it added.
The NIA had earlier arrested and charge-sheeted 13 accused persons in this regard.
The investigation has disclosed incriminating evidence of the involvement of the accused Rajeev Ranjan Singh, who is a habitual arms trafficker and was one of the main conduits for supply of weapons in this case, the agency stated.
Further investigation into the matter is underway.
( With inputs from ANI )
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