Criminals carrying out offenses with stolen firearms

During the July-August student-people uprising, nearly 1,500 firearms and over 250,000 rounds of ammunition were looted from various police stations across the country, and these have yet to be recovered.

The looted weapons have found their way into the hands of criminals, who are using them to commit crimes. Last week, a pistol stolen from a police station was used in the murder of a young woman in Munshiganj.

Additionally, police suspect that firearms and ammunition looted between October and November were involved in a series of shootings and murders in the Geneva Camp of Mohammadpur, Dhaka.

Several police officers told Prothom Alo that the looted firearms and ammunition have been seized by escapees from prisons, notorious criminals, extremists, radical groups, and teenage gangs, heightening public fear and insecurity.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, police sources revealed that 5,750 firearms and more than 651,609 rounds of ammunition were looted from police stations, outposts, and facilities across the country. This included rifles, submachine guns (SMG), light machine guns (LMG), pistols, shotguns, gas guns, tear gas launchers, tear gas shells, sound grenades, and various types of ammunition.

A joint operation to recover the looted weapons began on September 4. By December 4, police sources reported recovering 4,331 firearms and 388,456 rounds of ammunition, but 1,419 firearms and 263,153 rounds of ammunition remain missing.

Several unnamed police officers told Prothom Alo that around 700 prisoners who escaped during the uprisings are still on the run. These firearms have ended up in the hands of criminals, raising significant concerns about public safety and law and order.

Police officials have expressed fears that unless the firearms are recovered and the escapees apprehended, law and order could deteriorate.

According to police headquarters, there are 664 police stations across the country. On August 5, during the uprisings in Dhaka and other districts, multiple police units and establishments, including stations and outposts, were attacked, vandalized, and set on fire. Police vehicles were also torched. Firearms and ammunition were looted from these stations, causing police operations to come to a halt on the afternoon of August 5. Police officers were afraid to report to work, and Ansar members were deployed to guard police installations. Police operations resumed on August 13.

Murders Committed with Looted Firearms

On Saturday morning, the police found the bullet-ridden body of 22-year-old Shahida Akter in Munshiganj. Her "boyfriend," Touhid Sheikh, also known as Tanmoy, was arrested in connection with the murder. During investigation, it was revealed that Touhid used a pistol looted from Wari police station in Dhaka to shoot Shahida. The pistol was recovered based on his confession.

In October-November, a series of shootings and murders occurred in the Geneva Camp in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. Police suspect that looted firearms and ammunition were involved in these incidents. The officer-in-charge (OC) of Mohammadpur police station, Ali Ifthekhar Hasan, confirmed a joint security operation after these incidents, which led to the recovery of several pistols, revolvers, and sharp weapons. Some of the recovered firearms may have been registered weapons owned by ordinary citizens, though this has not been confirmed due to a lack of documentation.

On December 5, a sanitation worker in Kushtia city discovered a shotgun, six rounds of ammunition, and a shell casing while cleaning a drain behind the Children’s Park. The items, which had been looted from Kushtia district police, were seized by the Kushtia Model police station.

Growing Concern

Brigadier General Syed Mohammad Motaher Hossain, the Inspector General of Prisons, reported that 2,200 prisoners escaped from various jails during the July-August uprisings. While 1,500 have been arrested, 700 remain at large, including 70 high-risk individuals such as terrorists, death-row convicts, and notorious criminals.

The fact that these dangerous criminals are still on the loose, combined with the looted firearms now in circulation, has raised alarms among police officers.

On Tuesday, Mohammad Akram Hossain, Additional Inspector General of Police (Crime and Operations), said that most of the looted weapons have been recovered, with efforts continuing to locate the remaining firearms. Various operations are underway, and committees have been formed across the country to recover the remaining weapons. The police are also monitoring the escapees and those on bail to maintain law and order.

Professor Mohammad Omar Farooq from the Department of Criminology and Police Science at Maulana Bhashani University of Science and Technology warned that the remaining looted firearms could significantly contribute to the deterioration of law and order. He suggested that joint operations be intensified, surveillance be increased, and area-based searches target suspicious individuals.

Farooq also emphasized that without more organized and targeted operations by law enforcement, recovering the remaining looted firearms will be a challenging task.