Patna, Dec. 21: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has put its scanner on the probable nexus among arms dealers in Bihar, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The recovery of prohibited sophisticated foreign-made weapons from various parts of the state has put the NIA officials on their toes.

The NIA has sought a detailed report from the Bihar police on the seizure of sophisticated firearms and ammunition in the last one year. The agency, assigned to probe the anti-terror links across the country, has been tipped off about the international cartel of some Bihar-based arms dealers.

“The agency has traced the links of some arms suppliers of the state to countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar,” said a senior police officer posted with the NIA. He added that these arms dealers were also in constant touch with those operating in eastern Indian states and using Bihar as a transit point for carrying out their operation.

Additional director-general of police (headquarters) Ravinder Kumar said the state police officers were cooperating with the central agency in the probe. He, however, refused to divulge more information. “Since it is a security-related matter and had its wide ramifications, it would not be to proper make any comment on the issue,” he said.

Sources said the details of the firearms and ammunition seized from a vehicle belonging to one Bindi Yadav near the army cantonment on Gaya-Dobhi road in March had already been provided to the investigating agency.

A report on the seizure of an AK-56 rifle from Patna has also been sent to the agency’s headquarters.

The NIA officials were surprised to know that the Glock pistol, a semi-automatic prohibited weapon, recovered from a close associate of Munger-based notorious arms dealer Kundan Mandal was stolen from Thailand. The pistol, seized by the Special Task Force personnel from the Nayaram Nagar police station area in Munger, belonged to an official of the Royal Thai Police. The investigation revealed that the seized pistol, a prohibited one, was stolen from Chiang Mai town of Thailand. “It is being ascertained how the prohibited weapon was smuggled to India from Thailand,” an investigating official said, adding that the weapon was supposed to be handed over to a Maoist outfit operating in the Munger region.

Munger assistant superintendent of police Rajiv Mishra said Kundan’s ill-gotten assets worth over Rs 80 lakh had already been confiscated by the police under the provision of the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance, 1944. A case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, has been lodged with Naya Ramnagar police station against Mandal, he added.

The NIA, sources said, has also sought to know from the Bihar police about an illegal arms manufacturing unit run by a Maoist outfit on the Kaimur plateau.

The unit, run by some Jharkhand-based skilled blacksmith, was unearthed by the Rohtas police recently.