Another 15,000 'KNF uniforms' seized from Ctg factory; one arrested

Police have seized approximately 15,000 sets of uniforms allegedly prepared for the banned separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), from a garment factory in Chattogram city that resembles those reportedly confiscated in earlier raids.

The latest seizure was made late Tuesday (27 May) night from a garment factory under Pahartali Police Station.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Pahartali Police Station, Babul Azad, confirmed the operation, stating, "The factory's Managing Director Matiur Rahman has been arrested and a large quantity of uniforms have been seized. A case in this connection is under process." 

This seizure follows two earlier operations involving uniforms allegedly intended for KNF, which operated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

On 18 May, the Detective Branch of Chattogram Metropolitan Police raided Ringvo Apparels in the Noyarhat area under Bayezid Bostami Police Station and confiscated 20,300 uniforms resembling KNF's outfit.

Three individuals—Shahedul Islam, Golam Azam, and Niaz Haider—were arrested in that raid. Shahedul Islam was identified as the owner of the factory, while the others were said to have arranged the production order.

According to an FIR filed by Sub-Inspector Iqbal Hossain of the Detective Branch, the uniforms were ordered under a Tk2 crore contract. The order was reportedly brought to the factory in March by Golam Azam and Niaz Haider on behalf of an individual named Monghlaseng Marma alias Mong. Delivery of the uniforms was scheduled for May.

The case file states that the KNF is an armed extremist group banned by the government and primarily active in the districts of Rangamati, Khagrachhari, and Bandarban. The group is accused of carrying out criminal activities, including extortion, murder, abduction, and forced disappearances, often using firearms to intimidate local residents.

Authorities allege that the arrested individuals, along with other unnamed suspects, engaged in a criminal conspiracy to undermine Bangladesh's sovereignty, national integrity, and internal security. Their activities are suspected to be part of a broader plan to create public panic, damage government property, and disrupt the state's normal functioning—all while securing illicit funding from undisclosed sources.

In another reported raid on 26 May, police seized an additional 11,785 pieces of uniforms from the same garment factory in the Noyarhat area, sources familiar with the matter told The Business Standard.

Investigations are ongoing, and law enforcement agencies are working to trace the full extent of the supply chain involved in producing and distributing the uniforms to the banned organisation.