A journalist was leaving a tea stall in Netrokona when two young men suddenly appeared, fired several shots at him and fled on a motorcycle. The next day, another man was shot dead near a mosque in a similar attack. Within hours, another fatal shooting was reported in Sitakunda, Chittagong.
From helmeted gunmen arriving on motorcycles to assailants shooting victims at point-blank range before escaping, such attacks have become a disturbing pattern across the country.
From the capital to district towns, people are increasingly vulnerable to gun violence on public roads, at business establishments and even inside their homes.
A spate of sensational killings has renewed concerns over the proliferation of illegal firearms, the growing audacity of criminals and the deteriorating law and order situation.
The incidents have raised pressing questions: Where are criminals obtaining so many firearms? How do gunmen manage to carry out public shootings and escape so easily? And how effective are routine law enforcement operations in curbing armed crime?
Those monitoring the situation say many of the killings stem from disputes over political and local dominance, extortion, control of the drug trade and rivalries among criminal gangs.
A major concern is that a significant number of firearms looted from law enforcement installations during the political upheaval of 2024 remain unrecovered. Allegations of cross-border arms smuggling and the circulation of illegal weapons among criminal networks have further heightened concerns.
The situation has raised questions about the authorities' ability to trace the sources of illegal firearms, dismantle their supply networks and identify armed criminals before they strike.
A spate of fatal shootings within days
On the night of October 15, journalist Lutfuzzaman Alif Fakir was shot dead while leaving a tea stall in Durgapur, Netrokona. He was the district correspondent for private IPTV channel Ruposhi Bangla and also wrote about irregularities and criminal activities on a Facebook page called “Detective Artike”.
Police reported the arrest of a suspect in connection with the killing on October 18.
The following evening, Piarul Sardar was shot dead in Sajjankanda, Rajbari town. Two helmeted men arrived on a motorcycle and shot him at close range in front of a shop near Sajjankanda Madhyapara Mosque before fleeing.
Piarul, who sustained bullet wounds to the chest, was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Police said 13 cases had been filed against him on various charges, including murder, arms offences and drug-related crimes.
Later that night, Tarek Hossain Bappi was killed in a shooting in Barabkunda, Sitakunda upazila, Chittagong. Another young man, Tafsir Alam Shawon, was injured in the attack.
Police and hospital sources said the two were shot in a sudden attack in the Alinagar area. Bappi was declared dead after being taken to hospital.
Khulna has also witnessed a disturbing series of shootings.
On October 5, Akhtar Dhali was shot dead by assailants in Rupsa upazila. Around 50 days earlier, his son, Joy Dhali, had also been shot dead. The killing of Akhtar, who had filed a case over his son's murder, has sparked fear in the locality.
A day earlier, on October 4, Nasimul Gani Karim, also known as Nasim, was shot dead in broad daylight in Dighalia, Khulna.
In another incident, Sheikh Zumman Rahman Bishal was injured in a shooting in the city's Paschim Tutpara area late on October 17. The attackers, who arrived on a motorcycle wearing helmets and masks, fled with his mobile phone after shooting him.
The repeated incidents of gunmen carrying out attacks in public and escaping without apparent difficulty have heightened concerns among observers over the country's law and order situation.
Targeted killings persist in Dhaka and surrounding areas
Targeted killings involving gun attacks have continued not only in district towns but also in the capital and its surrounding areas.
On September 15, assailants shot and hacked Farhad Hossain to death at a salon in Arshinagar, Keraniganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka.
Police said Farhad was linked to a criminal gang operating around Rayerbazar in Mohammadpur.
Earlier, on June 12, listed criminal Yasin Khan Palash, also known as Kaillya Palash, was shot in the Rampura-Hatirjheel area of the capital. He died in hospital on June 20 while undergoing treatment.
On January 7 this year, Azizur Rahman Mosabbir, former general secretary of the Dhaka North unit of Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal, was shot dead behind Bashundhara City Shopping Complex in Karwan Bazar. Another person accompanying him was also injured in the attack.
2,659 murder cases filed in nine months
According to comparative data from Police Headquarters and the Home Ministry, 2,659 murder cases were filed across the country between January and September this year. Of these, 881 were recorded between July and September.
The figures indicate that nearly 10 murder cases were filed every day during the first nine months of the year.
Where are the guns coming from?
The source of firearms used in a spate of shootings has emerged as a major concern. Information from law enforcement agencies and statements by relevant officials point to three possible sources of illegal weapons: cross-border smuggling, the circulation of firearms among criminal networks and weapons looted from police stations and other law enforcement installations after August 5, 2024.
According to Police Headquarters, 5,763 firearms were looted from various law enforcement installations after August 5, 2024. By September 14, authorities had recovered 4,457 firearms, leaving 1,306 still unaccounted for.
The situation is equally concerning regarding ammunition. Of the 652,008 rounds of ammunition looted during the same period, 257,113 remained unrecovered.
More than two years after the looting, a substantial number of firearms and rounds of ammunition remain unaccounted for. Although there is no evidence that all the missing weapons have fallen into criminal hands, investigations have found that some have reached criminal networks.
In August, police identified a pistol used to fire at law enforcement personnel during an operation to arrest a criminal in Chittagong as a weapon looted from Kotwali Police Station in 2024.
In Mirpur, Dhaka, police also found a link between a recovered foreign-made pistol and weapons looted from a police station. These incidents have raised questions about how frequently looted firearms change hands and how they continue to circulate among criminals.
Illegal firearms have also long been suspected of entering Bangladesh through various border areas. Smuggling networks pose a risk of supplying small firearms and ammunition to criminal groups across the country. However, up-to-date information on the number of active routes and the volume of weapons entering through them was not available.
Arms recovery drives continue, but concerns remain
Police and other law enforcement agencies say they are conducting regular operations to recover illegal firearms. However, the large number of missing weapons remains a major challenge.
The Special Response Battalion (SRB) has recently been assigned to coordinate efforts to recover weapons looted during the 2024 political upheaval. Authorities have also announced that the identities of informants providing information about the weapons will be kept confidential and that rewards will be offered in accordance with government rules.
‘Power struggles and extortion among key causes of killings’
Dr Kudrat-e-Khuda, a professor of law at Daffodil International University in Dhaka, told Dhaka Tribune that disputes over local dominance, extortion, control of neighbourhoods and efforts to strengthen political positions were fuelling conflicts among rival groups.
“Some individuals are resorting to heinous crimes, including murder, to maintain their positions,” he said.
He stressed the need for law enforcement agencies to prioritise arms recovery during special operations, describing the use of firearms in criminal activities as alarming. Recovering illegal weapons and taking effective action against armed criminals are essential, he added.
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam told Dhaka Tribune that recovering looted firearms had become increasingly difficult.
“The SRB has been assigned responsibility for recovering these weapons, but the results have yet to meet expectations,” he said.
He added that criminals still possessed small firearms, many of which remained unrecovered, contributing to fatal shootings.
“Everyone is making efforts, but those efforts need to be intensified,” he said.
What law enforcement agencies say
Ibn-e-Mizan, deputy commissioner of the Tejgaon division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told Dhaka Tribune that regular operations were under way to recover illegal firearms, with arms recovery given the highest priority.
“The police are making every effort to prevent armed criminals from resurfacing,” he said.
Sheikh Zahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of the Ramna division, said police operations were continuing to maintain law and order.
“Regular efforts are under way to curb crime and prevent activities that could disrupt public order,” he said.
Shafiqul Islam, chief of the DMP's Detective Branch (DB), said police had recovered firearms while arresting suspects linked to various incidents in the capital.
“Operations against armed criminals are continuing based on intelligence,” he said.
Wing Commander M Z M Intikhab Chowdhury, director of the SRB's Legal and Media Division, told Dhaka Tribune that coordinated operations to recover illegal firearms were continuing.
“Alongside the arrest of suspects and recovery of weapons linked to various incidents, intelligence surveillance has also been intensified,” he said.