LOOTED MANIPUR ARMS RESURFACE IN POLL-BOUND BIHAR; NIA UNCOVERS INTER-STATE SMUGGLING NETWORK

Weapons looted during Manipur unrest suspected to be trafficked to Bihar ahead of Assembly elections

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has uncovered links between looted arms from Manipur and an illegal weapons network operating in Bihar, raising concerns about the use of such weapons in the upcoming Assembly elections.

During a recent search in Bihar’s Vaishali district, the NIA recovered a cache of firearms and ammunition from the residence of an arms racketeer, identified as Sandeep Kumar Sinha alias Chhotu Lala. The seizure included a 9 mm pistol, 18 live rounds, two pistol magazines, a double-barrel 12-bore gun, 35 live cartridges, and ₹4.21 lakh in cash.

Investigators revealed that Sandeep is a close associate of Vikash Kumar, the prime accused in a 2024 arms smuggling case (RC-11/2024/NIA/DLI). The probe suggests that a large quantity of weapons looted from Manipur — where over 6,000 arms and 600,000 rounds of ammunition were stolen during the 2023 ethnic violence — may have been trafficked to Bihar through established arms networks spanning Nagaland and Manipur.

“The possibility of looted Manipur weapons reaching Bihar is very high,” said a security official familiar with the investigation.

The case, originally registered by Bihar Police after the recovery of an AK-47 rifle and live ammunition, was later taken over by the NIA in August 2024. Since then, four individuals — Vikash Kumar, Satyam Kumar, Devmani Rai alias Anish, and Md Ahmad Ansari – have been arrested and chargesheeted. Another accused, Manjoor Khan, was recently apprehended and is currently lodged in Beur Jail, Patna.

Officials fear that these smuggled arms could be used for unlawful activities during the elections, including potential booth capturing and other forms of electoral violence.

In light of the security concerns, the Election Commission of India has modified polling schedules in Bihar, shortening voting hours by one hour in several sensitive constituencies. Around 1,300 polling booths have been classified as sensitive, most of them scheduled to go to polls in the second phase.

Authorities continue to tighten security measures as investigations into the interstate arms trafficking network progress, with the NIA closely monitoring possible links between northeastern gunrunners and criminal groups in Bihar.