NIA takes arms smuggler Santosh Singh to Patna for interrogation

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took a most wanted international arms smuggler Santosh Kumar Singh of Ara to Patna from Ara Jail on September 30, 2019, evening. The NIA will interrogate him after producing him before the NIA court. Santosh was wanted in connection with smuggling of AK-47. He is a resident of Hari Ji Ka Hata under Nawada police station, Ara.

The NIA had applied for issuance of production warrant of Santosh Kumar Singh in an Ara Court on September 24, 2019. After the court allowed production warrant against Santosh Kumar Singh on September 30, 2019, the NIA team reached Ara and took Santosh to Patna. Santosh had surrendered before an Ara Court under mounting police pressure on September 17, 2019, in connection with Nagaland Arms case.

It may be mentioned here that police had arrested three international arms smugglers along with AK-47 and other arms in large quantity in Purnia in February, 2019. During interrogation, the arrested arms smugglers had disclosed names of Santosh Kumar Singh and Mukesh Kumar Singh of Ara along with others. They also disclosed that both are mastermind of the gang and allegedly had link with terrorist and naxal groups of Myanmar besides international arms smugglers. After disclosure of link of Santosh Kumar Singh and Mukesh Kumar Singh, Purnia police started conducted raids to arrest them and police arrested Mukesh Kumar Singh from Jharkhand but Santosh Kumar Singh could not be arrested.

A team of NIA visited Ara several times to arrest Santosh Kumar Singh but every time, the NIA had to return disappointed.