The government is set to conduct a joint drive to recover illegal weapons, just a month after the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led government amid a mass upsurge, said a home ministry statement issued on Sunday.
Earlier, the interim government has suspended all license of firearms issued during the Awami League government.
At the same time, instructions were given to deposit firearms with ammunition to the concerned police station by September 3.
The statement stated that the operation to recover illegal weapons will begin on September 4, 2024.
“The government will conduct a joint operation from September 4 to recover illegal weapons,” Home Advisor Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said.
During the recent movement against the Hasina-led government, several police stations came under attacks, resulting in the looting of arms from various units and duty posts. According to the Police Headquarters (PHQ), 450 police stations came under attack during the mass upsurge.
A huge number of arms and bullets were looted from the stations during that period.
After the formation of the interim government headed by Dr Muhammad Yunus, authorities concerned of law enforcement agencies have been urging people to return the looted weapons.
The police headquarters (PHQ) also issued a note warning that legal actions will be taken if these weapons and ammunitions are not returned by September 3.
Some of the looted firearms and ammunition have already been recovered. Efforts are ongoing to retrieve the remaining looted weapons and ammunition.
As of 31 August, police recovered 3,872 firearms, around 2.86 lakh bullets, 2,221 tear gas canisters and 2,139 sound grenades, according to police headquarters (PHQ). A large number of looted arms and ammunition still remained unrecovered, said sources. Sources
indicate that there are currently around 50,000 legally registered firearms in the country. Among them, over 10,000 weapons are in the hands of political party leaders and workers, the majority of whom are members of the Awami League.
Many of these individuals received their firearm licenses during the period following the Awami League's return to power in 2009 and before the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5.
