NIA team at Ara to arrest arms smuggler Santosh Singh

Speed Post News Network

Ara :  A 10- member NIA team on April 5, 2019, reached Ara to arrest arms smuggler Santosh Singh of Ara and his associates in connection with seizure of three AK 47 assault rifles in Purnia district on February 7, 2019. Santosh Singh allegedly has links with an International Syndicate of arms smugglers. The NIA team, with the help of Bhojpur police, conducted raids at different places including Hari Ji Ka Hata to arrest Santosh Singh and his aides but failed to locate them.

Purnia police had seized three AK 47 rifles, two Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL), and 1,850 live cartridges of Myanmar Army on February 7, 2019. The NIA took the charge of investigation of the case from March 8, 2019. It arrested six persons including the kingpin of the gang Mukesh and is searching for Santosh Singh of Ara and others in this connection.

The seized arms and ammunition were smuggled through International Syndicate of arms smugglers and were sent to West Bengal in a Safari but the Purnia police, during vehicle checking, arrested three arms smugglers along with the arms and ammunition near Dalkola Check post near Baisi in the district.

SHO, Nawada police station, said that a 10- member team of NIA reached Ara in civvies and conducted raids at different places at Ara including Hari Ji Ka Hata to arrest Santosh but had to return empty handed. Quoting the NIA, the SHO said that Santosh Singh has links with an International Syndicate of arms smugglers.