Deadline ends with 125 licensed, 198 looted firearms still unaccounted for in Ctg

A total of 125 licensed and 198 looted firearms are still unaccounted for in Chattogram after the government-imposed deadline for surrendering weapons expired on 3 September. Police are asking citizens to help recover both types of firearms.

The home ministry had earlier suspended all firearm licenses issued during the Awami League tenure, from 6 January 2009 to 5 August 2024. Citizens were instructed to return their weapons to the nearest police station by the deadline.

The home ministry has warned that firearms not surrendered by the deadline will be declared illegal. Although the licenses themselves remain valid, failing to return the weapons could lead to legal consequences.

Authorities report that 842 firearm licenses were issued in Chattogram city and district during this period. These licenses covered various weapons, including single-shot and double-shot guns, pistols, rifles, shotguns, revolvers, and non-prohibited bore (NPB) pistols.

From Chattogram city, 384 firearms were surrendered, leaving 70 unreturned. In the district, 333 firearms were surrendered, with 55 still missing.

The Chattogram Metropolitan Police detailed the distribution of licenses across 16 police stations in the city. Kotwali Police Station issued the most licenses, 79, but only 53 of these firearms were returned. Panchlaish had the highest number of surrendered firearms, totalling 95. In addition, 19,626 rounds of ammunition were also submitted.

Some licensed firearms were returned outside Chattogram city, with police stations in Dhaka, Noakhali, and Sitakunda receiving weapons originally licensed to Chattogram residents.

Meanwhile, on 4 September, a joint operation was launched by the Army, police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar, Coast Guard, and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to recover illegal firearms and ammunition.

This follows the looting of 815 firearms from eight police stations in Chattogram on 5 August, the day the government fell. So far, 617 of these weapons have been recovered, but 198 are still missing. Additionally, 56,858 out of 82,252 rounds of ammunition looted have been retrieved.

At a meeting with journalists on Thursday, Raihan Uddin Khan, the new Superintendent of Police for Chattogram district, urged citizens to help by providing information on illegal arms. "If the illegal arms cannot be recovered soon, they can pose a severe threat to people's safety," he warned.

Lt Col Mahbub Alam of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-7) told The Business Standard, "The joint forces are working to locate and retrieve the remaining looted weapons, as well as the licensed weapons that were not surrendered within the deadline."