The smuggling of firearms through different routes of Rajshahi district is on the rise ahead of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad Elections.
Smugglers bring the firearms using vast tracts of the border and supply those to different areas of the country
At least 65 local and foreign-made firearms have been recovered by the Police and RAB during the last eight months, informed the concern sources.
According to a source from the Law Enforcement Agency in Rajshahi, RAB members have recovered 50 illegal firearms from January to August this year. The recovered firearms include 20 foreign pistols while in separate drives Police have recovered 15 firearms. Police also arrested at least 22 firearms peddlers during the same period.
The sources further said, on Friday last firearms trafficker Milon Hossain was arrested with four One-shooter guns and six rounds of bullets. Posing as nuts ferriwala, Milon Hossain was carrying those firearms under the basket of nuts.
Arrested Milon informed, aiming to create violence during the upcoming 12th JS Elections, a political party was amassing illegal local and foreign-made firearms. He further informed, there are 22 Firearms syndicates in this frontier district of Rajshahi and every syndicate consists of 5 to 10 members.
Those illegal firearms are being intruded into various places of Bangladeshi territory from neighboring country through these syndicate members.
Colonel Reaz Shariar, Commander of RAB-5, Rajshahi, informed the firearms traffickers were carrying those firearms in various innovative disguises and selling those to the people, mostly political terrorists, in remote areas of the country. A locally manufactured One-shooter gun is being sold at Tk 20, 000 to 25,000 while a foreign-made Pistol is being sold at Tk. 80,000 to 100,000.
Biplob Bijoy Talukder, Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, informed the activities of Law Enforcement Agency Members have been beefed up to stop illegal firearms trafficking in the country.
Anisur Rahman, DIG, Rajshahi range, informed, stern action will be taken against those political parties or groups attempting to spread violence by using illegal firearms.
