700 looted firearms still missing, govt mulls reward

More than 700 of the police firearms looted during last year's mass uprising still remain untraced, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said today.

The government will reward those who will provide information about the missing firearms, he added.

After the fall of Awami League government in a mass uprising, police said 5,750 firearms and 6,51,609 rounds of ammunition were looted from various police stations, outposts and other installations.

"We are issuing a circular to recover the arms that were lost. We will also announce a reward. A committee will decide within the next couple of days how much we can offer.

"We will make the announcement through the media. Anyone providing credible information will receive the reward," Jahangir Alam said while talking to reporters at the secretariat after a meeting of the core committee on law and order.

Speaking on the murder of journalist Tuhin in Gazipur, the adviser described the incident as deeply tragic, saying that such an act is unimaginable in any society. 

He lamented that as a nation, people have grown increasingly intolerant. 

"In the past, when something wrong occurred, bystanders would step in to stop it, but now, many simply record videos instead," he added.

The adviser stressed that preventing crime is a moral duty, noting that law enforcement cannot be present everywhere and that those on the scene should act to stop wrongdoing.

He went on to say that most of the individuals involved in the Gazipur incident have already been brought to justice.

When asked if there could be violence during the next parliamentary elections, the adviser said that ensuring free, fair, and impartial polls is not the sole responsibility of law enforcement agencies. 

"Political parties, the Election Commission, the administration, security forces, and the public all share this duty," he said, adding that an additional armed Ansar member will be deployed for the security of each presiding officer during the parliamentary elections.

156 firearms looted from Ctg police stations still missing

One year after the fall of Sheikh Hasina regime, 156 firearms belonging to police stations across Chattogram remain unaccounted for, raising concerns among law enforcement about rising armed crimes.

According to Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) records, a total of 945 firearms were looted as police abandoned their posts. These included Chinese 7.62mm rifles, submachine guns, one 7.62mm light machine gun, shotguns, tear-gas guns and pistols. So far, 789 of these weapons have been recovered.

Nine cases were filed over arson and looting. Case documents estimate the total damage at Tk25 crore. While Kotwali's fire-damaged rooms have been repaired, furniture remains scarce. Double Mooring and Pahartali police stations are also yet to fully resume normal operations.

Police say many of the missing firearms have started turning up in the hands of criminals. Some looters kept them, while others sold them.

On 21 March, six people — including a police constable — were arrested for selling stolen weapons. Two foreign pistols were recovered.

Earlier, on 3 March, two Jamaat activists were killed in a mob beating in the Eochia union of Satkania. A foreign pistol found at the scene was confirmed by Chattogram district Superintendent of Police Saiful Islam to have been looted from Kotwali police station.

On 18 June, police recovered a 7.62mm pistol, four live rounds, and an empty magazine from professional mugger Saidur Rahman Masum, known as Blade Masum. CMP Deputy Commissioner (West) Hossain Mohammad Kabir Bhuiyan said the weapon and ammunition had been used in several robberies and muggings.

On 26 June, police arrested Md Minhaj Uddin, also known as Nurunnabi Sagar, a suspect in multiple cases, from the CDA Market in Pahartali. He had a foreign revolver and six rounds of ammunition, traced back to the looted police stockpile. Double Mooring police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Babul Azad, former OC of Pahartali, said the revolver had been used in several muggings.

CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Public Relations) Mahmuda Begum said most stolen firearms have been recovered, and efforts continue to find the rest.

"We will not allow even one police firearm to stay in criminal hands," she said.