(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Expanding the ambit of investigation into the 2024 Bihar arms smuggling case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out extensive searches at the residence of an accused named Sandeep Kumar Sinha and recovered a slew of weapons ranging from live cartridges, guns and cash, besides a list of incriminating materials.

Sandeep Kumar Sinha, aka Chhotu Lala, is a key accused in the arms smuggling case and was charged with facilitating the trafficking of an AK-47 rifle into Bihar.

The seizure from his house in Vaishali district included one 9 mm pistol, 18 live cartridges of 9 mm, two pistol magazines, one double-barrel 12-bore gun, 35 live cartridges of 12-bore ammunition and Rs 4.21 lakh in cash.

Sandeep Sinha is a close associate of the arrested prime accused Vikash Kumar and an active member of the arms trafficking network involved in the arms trafficking case.

The duo allegedly smuggled the weapon in Bihar from Nagaland, with the intention of using the proceeds of the sale to invest in land deals.

The case was first registered by the Bihar Police, following the recovery of an AK-47 rifle and live ammunition.

The case was taken over by the NIA in August 2024.

During the investigation, four accused were identified as Vikash Kumar, Satyam Kumar, Devmani Rai aka Anish and Md. Ahmad Ansari. They were arrested and subsequently charged. Recently, another accused, Manzoor Khan, was also arrested and is currently lodged in Patna's Beur Jail.

Sinha's house was previously raided in December last year, but he was found absconding.

The investigation first began in May 2024, when the Muzaffarpur Railway Police nabbed two cousins with an AK-47 rifle. Initial investigation showed that Sandeep Sinha played a vital role in facilitating the property transactions linked to the arms trade.

Vikash Kumar had bought the rifle from Ahmad Ansari, an arms dealer based in Gopalganj, who was apprehended from Nagaland's Dimapur on May 10 last year.

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