Recover all looted weapons before election

During the July uprising, unruly mobs and violent groups attacked various police stations and outposts across the country—including the capital Dhaka and port city Chattogram—resulting in the looting of police weapons and ammunition. Many of these arms still remain in the hands of the attackers. Over the past year, numerous reports and complaints have surfaced indicating that these weapons are being used by criminals in murders, extortion, robberies, and muggings.

Crime analysts have already warned that one of the main drivers behind the recent surge in crime is the unchecked use of these looted and illegal firearms. Such weapons are reportedly being used particularly in drug trafficking and to assert political dominance. According to law enforcement, the use of these weapons has increased significantly in recent months, especially in Chattogram.

On Wednesday, August 6, media reports revealed that during the popular uprising, when rumors spread that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had left the country, unprecedented attacks were carried out on police stations and outposts in Chattogram. Armories were broken into, and various weapons were looted—later recovered from criminals involved in armed robbery and muggings. These weapons include Chinese rifles, submachine guns (SMGs), pistols of various models, shotguns, and gas guns. Alarmingly, 156 weapons still remain unaccounted for after a full year.

According to the police headquarters, after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 of last year, 460 out of 664 police stations were attacked, vandalized, or set on fire. Looting also occurred at 114 outposts. So far, 4,384 looted weapons have been recovered, while 1,369 weapons are still missing.

This raises a critical question: why haven’t these remaining weapons been recovered even after a year? Meanwhile, incidents of mugging and robbery have continued to rise in various parts of the country. Several police officials have admitted to the media that most of these weapons have ended up in the hands of terrorists, robbers, muggers, drug traffickers, and juvenile gangs. Some criminals have kept the weapons for personal use, while others have sold them. Although law enforcement launched an aggressive recovery operation in September last year, momentum has since slowed.

Police reports reveal that in October and November of last year, looted weapons were used in multiple violent incidents, including several murders in Geneva Camp, Mohammadpur. In November, Shahida Islam, the daughter of Md. Motaleb of Mymensingh, was found shot dead along the Dhaka–Mawa Expressway. She had been living in a rented apartment in Old Dhaka’s Wari with her mother and brother. Her boyfriend, Touhid Sheikh Tanmoy, was arrested, and investigations revealed that the weapon used in the murder was a looted police firearm.

On May 28 this year, police arrested two individuals—Md. Parvez and Riazur Rahman—from Chattogram’s Pahartali area, recovering sharp weapons and a revolver with bullets. These were identified as looted from the Pahartali police station on August 5, 2024. Police have also recovered more looted weapons in subsequent raids on June 18 and June 26 in Chattogram. However, many weapons remain in criminal hands, raising serious concerns within the police force.

Criminals may temporarily go into hiding when joint forces increase their operations, but they reemerge when they sense lax enforcement. Therefore, the presence and activity of joint forces must continue until every looted weapon is recovered. Regardless of the challenges, the recovery of police weapons must be prioritized. If not, public safety will be severely threatened, and political instability could intensify.

With the national election approaching, there is growing fear that these weapons will be used to disrupt the electoral process. Hence, it is imperative that all looted weapons be recovered before the election.