Extortionists, muggers and political cadres are reportedly procuring arms which find their ways into the country through different bordering areas.
Most of the illegal arms are entering the country through different borders of Chapainawabganj, Jessore, Satkhira, Comilla, Akhaura, Teknaf and Bandarban areas escaping the eyes of the law enforcers. These arms are reaching the hands of political cadres and underworld criminals across the country, relevant sources said.
During the last four weeks about 30 persons suffered bullet injuries in different city areas. Those injured include some leaders of the ruling party. The police have been conducting investigation in connection with incidents of use of illegal arms trade and use of fire arms on the basis of statement of some of those already arrested.
The police arrested also some arms dealers on June 20 from city’s Mirpur area and recovered five revolvers with 150 rounds of bullets from their possession. Those arrested told the police that the arms were brought to the city in fruits laden vehicles. Ten arms trading groups are active in the city, reports said quoting those arrested. Police however, would not divulge details such statements as that might hamper progress of investigation.
The illegal arms started entering the country on the eve of upazila polls, said some sources . The Railway Police recovered arms and ammunitions from “Subarna Express” train early this year. The recovered arms included AK 22 rifles, powerful explosives, bullets and magazine. a kilometre, which even many of the members of law enforcement agencies do not possess.
Railway Range police said that they could not yet trace the masterminds behind the shipments. They were conducting investigation suspecting the involvement of banned militant outfits- JMB and Huji. In August last year, the RAB personnel arrested three members of a new organisation – believed to be an offshoot of the JMB, and recovered some firearms including AK 22 rifles.
When contacted, joint commissioner of DB Monirul Islam told The New Nation on Thursday that use of illegal weapons was relatively higher last month compared to other time. But it should not be seen as something very alarming. Investigation regarding the bullet injured cases is in progress , he said adding ,” We are recovering illegal weapons and arrest some of those in possession of illegal weapons. We have been trying to break the syndicate of the smugglers and users of illegal weapons.”
Not only AK rifles, but also foreign-made pistols, revolvers and Chinese rifles, are entering the country illegally, said another source adding the most popular arms in the capital’s underworld are six-inch-long pistols – made by the Indian Ordinance Factory.
The use of firearms in criminal incidents has marked sharp rise in the last two months, sources said adding criminals now use firearms even for a little offence, a police source said.
One official of Counter Terrorism Unit of the police, told the media : “The use of firearms often rises and sometimes goes down. However, we are suspecting that their use has increased in recent times.” The police are keeping watch on some criminal groups in the capital to know whether they were behind illegal imports of fire arms.
One senior official of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) told the media : “Smugglers take the opportunity of loopholes in the importing system.
They often bring the arms inside fruit cartons, and onion, rice or potato sacks. Sometimes they bring arms through waterways and roads which are quite difficult to monitor.”
He said the BGB has seized some of the illegal shipments in the past. ” BGB is doing its best to find the criminals and seize such shipments,” he said.
