New Delhi  - A man wanted for allegedly stealing and smuggling uranium ore has surrendered to a local court in India's north-eastern state of Meghalaya, police told news outlets Friday.

The man, identified as John Khongmin, the son of an employee of India's state-run Atomic Mineral Division (AMD), surrendered on Wednesday and was later remanded to police custody, the PTI news agency reported.

Last week, the state police arrested four people and seized packets of substances suspected to be uranium ore from their possession in the West Khasi Hills district, near the state capital Shillong.

Khongmin had allegedly supplied them the packets bearing the seal of AMD and the government of India, sources in the state police told the news agency.

Investigations were underway to find out how much ore the group had and what they planned to do with it.

The arrests could prove embarrassing for India as they come nearly a week after the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) ended a three-decade ban on civilian nuclear trade with the country.

New Delhi had lobbied hard to persuade the NSG, which controls global trade in fissile material and technology, that its nuclear industry was safe.

Uranium is an important mineral ore for the production of nuclear weapons, but has to be enriched through complex processes for use.

News reports said a high-level police team will visit the AMD offices and assist the local police in the probe. Those arrested in the case include a village headman.

Earlier in May, five people were arrested for allegedly possessing a kilogram of uranium which they tried to sell for 2.6 million rupees (57,000 dollars) with almost the same inscriptions as the packet seized later.

According to surveys by India's Department of Atomic Energy, there could be up to 375,000 tons of uranium in Meghalaya's Domiasiat area -the largest deposits available in the country.

According to the PTI, the theft of uranium ore in Meghalaya was first detected in 1994, with police seizing some packets.

Investigations had then revealed that the uranium ore from Meghalaya was being taken to Pakistan via Bangladesh.

A senior AMD scientist, who was wanted in the case, had reportedly fled the country after the smuggling racket was uncovered. (dpa)