QUOTING law enforcers, a national daily reported that at least eight authorized arms dealers in the country are involved in a syndicate that sells weapons to criminals. They sell legally imported and illegal firearms to people with no licences. Police in the last four months arrested three of the eight dealers and recovered 28 firearms and 2,810 bullets. Law enforcers also acknowledged that a syndicate is selling illegal arms under the cover of legal arms business while smuggling arms has become a regular phenomena and it ultimately goes to the hand of criminals and political men, mostly of the ruling party, to destabilize the state and ignite violence.
The entire matter unravelled after police arrested an arms dealer of Rangpur in Dhaka in March when he was reportedly trying to sell two pistols to alleged criminals. The police probe into the illegal sale of firearms had a new twist after investigators raided the authorized arms dealer’s house and found 56 firearms but no documents for 15 of them. The arrestee in a submitted statement to Rangpur police said he had 41 single barrel and double barrel guns in stock, however, police found 56 arms in his home. There are 69 authorized arms dealers across the country. This is not the first time such activities of the arms dealers have been revealed. In 2012, the Detective Branch arrested two people with illegal arms.
The illegal arms trade has gone up alarmingly in recent times in the wake of ongoing pre-election political turmoil and triggered by high demand from local criminals and terrorists. According to sources in intelligence agencies, there are at least 119 points on the border which are being used to smuggle firearms inside the country. Border infiltration and political turmoil are the catalyst of arms trading that eventually is used in crimes, intimidation, and political violence. The reported incidents of illegal arms trade by legal arms dealers or illegal arms smugglers are the tip of the total iceberg. If the government becomes honest enough to stop the illegal arms trade, a joint drive is an immediate task to limit political violence and crimes as the national election is around the corner.
The entire matter unravelled after police arrested an arms dealer of Rangpur in Dhaka in March when he was reportedly trying to sell two pistols to alleged criminals. The police probe into the illegal sale of firearms had a new twist after investigators raided the authorized arms dealer’s house and found 56 firearms but no documents for 15 of them. The arrestee in a submitted statement to Rangpur police said he had 41 single barrel and double barrel guns in stock, however, police found 56 arms in his home. There are 69 authorized arms dealers across the country. This is not the first time such activities of the arms dealers have been revealed. In 2012, the Detective Branch arrested two people with illegal arms.
The illegal arms trade has gone up alarmingly in recent times in the wake of ongoing pre-election political turmoil and triggered by high demand from local criminals and terrorists. According to sources in intelligence agencies, there are at least 119 points on the border which are being used to smuggle firearms inside the country. Border infiltration and political turmoil are the catalyst of arms trading that eventually is used in crimes, intimidation, and political violence. The reported incidents of illegal arms trade by legal arms dealers or illegal arms smugglers are the tip of the total iceberg. If the government becomes honest enough to stop the illegal arms trade, a joint drive is an immediate task to limit political violence and crimes as the national election is around the corner.
