The trade and supply of illegal arms is on the rise in the wake of ongoing pre-election activities in the capital and higher demand from local criminals, claims a member of an intelligence agency.
Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) of police, yesterday said a group of arms smugglers was importing the illegal arms ahead of the city corporation elections due this year.
The DB has already prepared a list of political leaders and criminal groups who are buying and renting these arms from smugglers, he said while addressing a press briefing at the DMP media centre, arranged to provide information over the arrest of seven people working for a smuggling ring in raids on Thursday and early yesterday.
Mohammad Sanowar Hossain, DB additional deputy commissioner, coordinated the raid which was conducted by Officer-in-Charge of the DB’s bomb disposal unit, Rahmatullah Chowdhury, and OC of its illegal arms recovery and protection team (south) Jahangir Alam.
The arrestees are: arms traders Mobarak Hossain Masud, 30, Shahidul Islam Khokan, 32, Fakhrul Islam Apu, 31, Sumon Hossain, 24, Kamruzzaman Imran, 26, and drug traders Halima Akter alias Liza, 22, and Suchandra Manna Rabeya, 19.
Of them, Apu is a leader of BNP’s Comilla district unit while Imran is an associate of noted criminal Shahadat and Indian citizen Rabeya is the wife of Imran. The police also recovered six foreign pistols, 70 rounds of bullet and 200 illegal Yaba tablets from them.
Based on information that this group was brining 22 firearms to the capital by truck, the DB police performed raids in the city's Mirpur area and arrested Masud and Khokan with two arms at around 8pm on Thursday, said Monirul.
Upon receiving information from them, the DB officials went to the Geneva camp at Humayun Road in the city's Mohammadpur area to nab Apu and Sumon, he said. At that time, they fired four shots at DB members while fleeing. They were arrested with two more firearms.
DB officials also raided house no. 13/3 of Hazi Chinumia Road in Mohammadpur and arrested Imran, Halima and Rabeya, recovered two more firearms and 200 Yaba tablets, the official said.
During primary interrogation, Monirul said, the arrestees admitted their involvement in illegal arms trading and drug peddling, working out of several rented houses in the capital. The arms are mainly imported by Rabeya from India and sold in local market by ring members. They also have several arms traders across the country.
They also rent illegal arms for Tk5,000-10,000, police said.
According to the arrestees, they brought these firearms to the capital for use in the upcoming elections. A list of such arms trader has also been recovered from their possessions, Monirul claimed.
The DB is now verifying the statements, especially regarding the political leaders who take arms from this group.
A total of four cases were filed against the seven with Shah Ali and Mohammadpur police stations. Among them, Fakhrul, Sumon and Imran were shown as arrested in two cases filed under the Arms Act with Mohammadpur police station while Rabeya and Halima are involved in a case filed under the Drugs Act with the same police station. Masud and Khokan were shown arrested in an arms case filed with Shah Ali police station.
Metropolitan magistrate granted DB five days to grill Fakhrul, Sumon and Imran. In the drugs case, Rabeya and Halima were placed on a two-day remand, while Masud and Khokan were remanded for three days.