After a safety review by local authorities in an office of a local organization, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has clarified that it donated the tools recovered from the warehouse of an NGO in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.
"The tools are part of household kits given to vulnerable members of the host community for agricultural and livelihood activities," Tarek Mahmud, national communication officer of IOM, said in a press release issued by the organization on Friday.
Earlier on Thursday, 5,000 tools were recovered from a warehouse of a local NGO at Malbhitapara in Ukhiya upazila.
Also read - Locally made weapons seized from NGO office in Cox's Bazar
A team, led by Executive Magistrate and Assistant Commissioner (land) Fakhrul Islam, conducted a drive there and recovered the locally-made tools kept in 20 to 25 sacks.
The IOM said an alarm was raised on social media following a misunderstanding where farming tools were mistaken for potential weapons distributed to refugees.
The items were in fact farming tool kits being stored at SHED office for distribution to the Bangladeshi host community, the IOM said.
The authorities gave back the tools to the NGO after checking all the documents, it added.
