Seven firearms missing from Dhaka airport cargo vault, police say
However, no case has yet been filed over the theft, police said.
At least seven firearms have reportedly gone missing from the strong room of the fire-hit cargo complex at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, according to police.
A general diary (GD) was filed with the Airport Police Station on 28 October by Biman Bangladesh Airlines — which handles ground operations at the airport — after the vault was found broken.
However, no case has yet been filed over the theft, police said.
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An official of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Uttara division said, "There were 21 firearms in the vault; 14 have been recovered while seven remain missing. The missing weapons include US-made M4 carbines and Brazilian Taurus pistols."
The official could not confirm which organisation the weapons belonged to.
He added, "The home ministry has formed a probe committee over the incident. We received a GD from Biman regarding the break-in, but no theft case has been filed so far."
Biman's Assistant Manager (Security) Jamal Hossain lodged the GD on 28 October.
The incident follows a massive fire that broke out at the airport's import cargo complex on 18 October, which took firefighters around 27 hours to bring under control. The fire had already raised concerns over the security of the Key Point Installation (KPI)-classified facility, and the subsequent theft has deepened those concerns further.
According to the GD, on 24 October around 3:15pm, a team, including Customs Deputy Commissioner Niamul, Biman's GM (Cargo) Nazmul Huda, National Security Intelligence Additional Director Firoz Rabbani, and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Director Iftekhar, inventoried the goods and locked the vault with chains and seals in everyone's presence.
"On 27 October around 9:45pm, I, along with on-duty DMP and Ansar members, checked the seals and locks and found them intact. However, the next morning around 7am, the duty officer from Biman's security unit, Jahangir Alam Khan, informed me that the vault's lock was missing. After notifying the DGM (security), I rushed to the spot and found the vault door unlocked," Jamal Hossain stated in the GD.
Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge Taslima Akter said, "Biman Bangladesh Airlines is responsible for the cargo complex and other installations inside the airport. We only handle security at the gates."
She added that the home ministry's committee is investigating the incident while police are also probing the GD.
Biman's General Manager (Public Relations) Tahera Khandaker said, "The matter is still under investigation. We cannot comment officially on an ongoing probe."
