New Delhi: In a major conviction in a decade-old international arms smuggling conspiracy, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Delhi on Thursday sentenced Thai arms dealer Wuthikorn Naruenartwanich alias Willy Naruenartwanich alias Willy Naru to six years rigorous imprisonment in the NSCN(IM) arms procurement case.
Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma at Rouse Avenue Courts awarded the 70-year-old Thai national three years for criminal conspiracy, two years for preparation to wage war against India and two years for terror conspiracy, to run concurrently with a total effective sentence of six years. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh. The conviction was pronounced on September 24, 2026, while the sentence was argued and pronounced on Thursday, October 9, 2026.
Willy Naru has been held guilty under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and Section 122 (collecting arms with intention of waging war against Government of India) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 18 (conspiracy for terrorist act) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He is the fourth accused in the NIA case RC-01/2010/NIA-DLI and the only one to be convicted so far, making it a landmark verdict in India’s fight against cross-border arms trafficking to Northeast insurgent groups.
According to the NIA investigation, the case pertains to a larger conspiracy hatched since early 2008 by the leadership of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) to illegally procure a huge consignment of sophisticated arms and ammunition from foreign countries to strengthen its armed cadres for waging war against the Government of India. The agency had registered the case on December 18, 2010, after intelligence inputs about the deal.
The NIA had chargesheeted four accused persons on March 26, 2011. They were identified as Anthony Shimray alias Ningkhan Shimray alias Sir Khan, who was then the chief arms procurer of NSCN(IM) and nephew of NSCN(IM) founder Thuingaleng Muivah, TR Calvin alias Grace Raingam Tayao, Hangshi Ramson Tangkhul alias Raman, and Thai liaison Willy Naruenartwanich. Of the four, two are still absconding, one died during the prolonged trial, and Willy faced trial after extradition.
The probe revealed that Anthony Shimray had negotiated several times with Willy Naru to fix a deal to the tune of US $1.2 million to procure nearly 1,000 sophisticated weapons including AK-series automatic rifles, light machine guns, pistols, rocket-propelled grenades, rocket launchers and over 5,00,000 rounds of ammunition. The arms were to be sourced from Chinese state-owned arms company NORINCO through Willy’s network. For this deal, US $800,000 was already paid by Shimray to Willy, the NIA had stated in its chargesheet.
Willy Naru, a Thai-Chinese origin businessman who was running a spa business in Bangkok as a cover for his illegal arms brokerage, was acting as the crucial middleman between NSCN(IM) and Chinese suppliers. During preliminary questioning by Thai authorities after his arrest on August 30, 2013, based on an Interpol Red Corner Notice requested by India, Willy had revealed the detailed smuggling route. The consignment was planned to start from Beihai port in the South China Sea near Vietnam to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.
The plan was to shift the weapons on the high seas to small fishing trawlers to reach the Bangladesh coast and then smuggle them through land routes into Northeast India for distribution to NSCN(IM) and other insurgent groups operating in the region. However, the entire conspiracy collapsed after Anthony Shimray was arrested in Patna in September 2010 while he was entering India from Bangkok via Nepal, carrying multiple foreign passports and identity cards of Bangladesh, Philippines and Thailand.
Willy’s extradition itself became a historic legal milestone. He was the first Thai national to be extradited to India. After his arrest in Bangkok, a criminal court in Bangkok ordered his extradition on March 31, 2014, under the India-Thailand Extradition Treaty signed in 2012 after two decades of negotiations following Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit. His appeal was rejected by the Thai appellate court on November 4, 2014, and he was finally brought to India on December 8, 2014, by an NIA team. A non-bailable warrant had been issued against him by the Delhi court as early as April 15, 2011.
In its detailed 600-page judgment, Special Judge Prashant Sharma observed that the surrounding circumstances including repeated foreign travel, secret meetings in Bangkok, email communications concerning shipment of arms and the organizational structure of NSCN(IM) cumulatively established Willy’s role. The court noted, “The evidence further establishes the role of A-1 (Shimray) and A-4 (Naru) in communicating with persons associated with NSCN(IM) in connection with procurement and transportation of a substantial quantity of sophisticated arms from China through Bangladesh.”
The court rejected the defence argument that Willy was a legitimate businessman with no knowledge of insurgency. The prosecution had produced email trails, money transfer records, and testimonies linking the payments and negotiations. The NIA argued that the conspiracy was not just about arms purchase but was preparation for waging war against the sovereignty of India, which attracts stringent punishment under both IPC and UAPA.
The sentencing comes at a time when the ceasefire between Government of India and NSCN(IM) continues since 1997, but security agencies have repeatedly flagged violations including extortion, arms procurement and incidents like the Rs 18.85 crore PNB robbery in Ukhrul, Manipur, in November 2023, where NIA chargesheeted NSCN(IM) cadres for allegedly diverting proceeds for militant purposes and weapons purchase. This conviction reinforces the agency’s focus on breaking the foreign supply chain of arms to Northeast groups.
With Willy Naru now sentenced to six years, the NIA is expected to intensify efforts to trace the two absconding NSCN(IM) leaders, TR Calvin and Hangshi Ramson, who are believed to be hiding in Southeast Asia. Officials said the interrogation of Willy over the years has provided crucial intelligence about Chinese arms networks operating through Thailand and Bangladesh, which is being shared with partner agencies to choke the supply lines to insurgent groups in the Northeast.
