Fugitive militants and terrorists and unclaimed weapons pose a threat to security.
After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 in the student-public movement, opportunists attacked various establishments in the country, including police stations and outposts, and looted a huge amount of weapons and ammunition. These looted weapons are now a serious threat to the law and order and security of the country.
In addition, before and after the fall of the previous government, top terrorists and militants, including violent prisoners, have escaped from various prisons in the country. Law enforcement officials are also considering them a risk to the security of the country.
Security analysts say that the looted weapons must be recovered quickly to maintain the law and order situation in the country. In addition, they have also emphasized the need to bring the militants and terrorists who escaped from prison during the movement under the law. According to analysts, the looted weapons can be used in crimes and become a major threat to the security of the country. The escaped prisoners may again become involved in murder, terrorism and other criminal activities, further destabilizing the law and order situation.
According to multiple sources, including the police, most of the weapons and bullets looted from various establishments of the law enforcement agencies have ended up in the hands of professional criminal gangs. In addition, these weapons have also reached the hands of juvenile gang members based in different areas. Even the looted weapons have gone to pirates in the Sundarbans area, various criminal groups in the three hilly regions and other conflict areas. According to intelligence information, these weapons are being used in criminal activities and are being sold. These illegal weapons have become a big headache for the law enforcement agencies, especially the RAB and the police.
Last Saturday, the alleged lover Touhid Sheikh Tanmoy shot and killed his girlfriend Shahida Islam on the Dhaka-Mawa highway in Munshiganj. The pistol used in this murder was looted by the arrested Touhid from Wari Police Station in Dhaka on August 5. On August 22, a clash broke out between the followers of former UP member Firoz Mia and Abu Hanif Zakaria in the Saydabad area of Srinagar Union in Raipura, Narsingdi over dominance. In this, six followers of Firoz were killed and 25 were injured in the firing of the opponents. Azgar Hossain, son of the deceased Amir Hossain, said that Abu Hanif Zakaria and Nazrul Islam had collected the weapons looted from the Narsingdi District Jail from the absconding accused. They were attacked with those weapons.
Not only in these two incidents, the law enforcement agencies are receiving information that the looted weapons are being used in various other crimes. According to the relevant sources, they are working to recover the weapons. According to the police headquarters, 5,750 firearms of various types were looted from all over the country after the fall of the government on August 5. Of these, 4,331 firearms were recovered as of December 3. 1,419 looted weapons have not yet been recovered. In addition, out of 651,609 different types of ammunition looted, 388,456 have been recovered. 263,153 have not yet been recovered. Among the looted firearms, 1,106 Chinese rifles were looted. Out of these, 977 have been recovered. 129 have not yet been recovered. 2,076 12-bore shotguns were looted. 1,659 have been recovered. 417 shotguns have not yet been recovered. 1,092 9mm pistols were looted. Out of these, 620 have been recovered. 472 9mm pistols have not yet been recovered. Out of 539 looted Chinese pistols, 318 have been recovered. 221 Chinese pistols have not yet been recovered.
Regarding the recovery of the looted firearms, AIG (Media and PR) of the Police Headquarters, Enamul Haque Sagar told the daily Amed Soomi that the joint forces’ operation began on September 4. A significant number of weapons and ammunition have been recovered in this operation. The operation to recover the firearms is still ongoing. Former DIG of Police, Mejbaun Nabi, said that the existence of an illegal weapon is a headache for the police. Therefore, it is important to recover the looted weapons as soon as possible in the interests of law and order and public safety.
Meanwhile, at a press conference organized at the Prisons Directorate on Wednesday, Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Syed Md. Motaher Hossain said that about 2,200 prisoners escaped from various prisons in the country during the July-August movement. Among these prisoners, in addition to those sentenced to death, there were criminals sentenced to various terms. Of the escaped prisoners, 1,500 have returned. However, there are currently 700 fugitives, of whom 70 are high-risk, such as militants, death row inmates and top terrorists.
The Inspector General of Prisons also said that the current capacity of the country’s prisons is about 42,000 prisoners. However, before August 5, the number of prisoners was about 80,000. After the change of government, the number of prisoners decreased to 55,000 due to bail, but now it has increased to 65,000. In response to a question, Motaher Hossain said that among the accused who were released on bail after the fall of the government, there are 174 militants and 11 top terrorists.
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