Army chief says 3,619 weapons looted during July Uprising, 62.4% recovered

Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army General Waker-Uz-Zaman today (21 January) said 3,619 weapons were looted from different police stations of the country during the mass uprising in 2024.

Of the looted weapons, 2,259 have been recovered, which is 62.4% of the total, he said during a high-level meeting on the overall law-and-order situation in view of the upcoming 13th parliamentary election and the referendum on the implementation of the July National Charter.

The army chief said the amount of ammunition looted from different police stations of the country during the same period is 4,56,418 rounds.

Of this, 2,37,100 rounds have already been recovered, which is 52%, said the Chief Adviser's (CA) Press Wing, quoting the army chief as saying at the meeting.

He said the forces are taking various steps based on mutual discussions to ensure relief in the minds of the people during the election.

If implemented in the coming days, the army chief said, it is possible to present a peaceful election to the nation.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, was held at the CA's Office in the capital.

Interim government Advisers Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan, CA's Special Assistant Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Hafiz, National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, and the chiefs of Bangladesh Navy and Air Force, among others, were present at the meeting.

After the meeting, CA's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy. Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad were also present at the media briefing.