The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to take over the probe into recovery of 20 AK-47s, smuggled from the Central Ordnance Depot in Jabalpur, from Munger district since last month.

Authoritative sources on Sunday said the police headquarters has sent a proposal to the agency, requesting it to take over the investigation.

The case over seizure of 20 AK-47 semi-automatic rifles since August 29 has been lodged at Munger Mufassil police station. The sources said the NIA has agreed to formally take over the probe in the arms-deal racket.

Munger acting superintendent of police Babu Ram said: “We have information about the recommendation sent to the NIA, but we will continue our investigation till the agency takes over the case here.”

Such recovery of 20 AK-47 rifles from a particular district is the first in the country and more such weapons are suspected to be seized in the days to come. Total 70 AK-47 rifles are said to have been smuggled from the Central Ordnance Depot in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, since 2012.

Babu Ram on Sunday said Mohammad Riyazur Rehman, a retired army jawan, is the kingpin of the racket. Riyazur, who was arrested from Bengal’s New Jalpaiguri on September 9, allegedly persuaded Purusottam Lal Rajak, armourer at the Jabalpur depot.

Thakur, in turn, took storekeeper Suresh Thakur into confidence to siphon off the sophisticated weapons from the depot. An investigating officer said Riyazur and Rajak were earlier posted in Lucknow.

On Sunday, an earth-digging machine was pressed into service to dig a plot in Mirzapur Bardhe village on the outskirts of Munger town. Some spare parts of the sophisticated weapons were recovered from there. “The plot of land belonged to Ajmeri Begum, also called Ajmeri Khatoon, who is lodged in Munger divisional jail in the arms deal case,” Babu Ram told The Telegraph.

The spare parts found suggest that the semi-automatic weapons were repaired at the village in case of technical snags.

The police had found 12 AK-47s from a well at Bardhe village, following a statement from Tanveer, who was arrested from Jharkhand. Police teams have been sent to different states, including Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Bengal, to gather more information about the inter-state gang of arms smugglers.

An AK-47 rifle was sold for Rs 6-8 lakh in Munger.

The investigating officer said the racket was going on unabated since 2012. He added: “It came to the fore on August 29 when one Imam, a resident of Munger, was arrested with three AK-47s.”

Arrested arms smugglers Imran and Shamsher, the police said, have also disclosed names of some serving legislators, former lawmakers and bahubalis (musclemen) in the state who had purchased AK-47s from them. They said four rifles were sold to people in Aurangabad, three in Gaya, two each in Sheikhpura and Munger districts and one in Nalanda.

The Munger police have lodged a separate FIR against three residents of Aurangabad — Pintoo Sharma, Chandra Shekhar Azad and Mantoo Sharma. The special investigation team, headed by Munger additional SP (operation) Rana Navin, has started search for the trio.

The Munger police have also initiated the process to confiscate movable and immovable assets of the arrested arms smugglers. “A dedicated team is working on it. We will send a formal proposal to the economic offences unit shortly,” Babu Ram said.