Staff Reporter :
Amid the ongoing nationwide crackdown, law enforcement authorities have arrested 343 individuals as part of a special operation codenamed ‘Operation Devil Hunt’.
Additionally, 1,521 people were apprehended in the past 24 hours during various drives across the country.
AIG (Media and PR) of the Police Headquarters, Inamul Haque Sagar, shared this information with the media on Monday.
He confirmed that 343 individuals were arrested under the special operation, and when combined with other drives, the total number of arrests from Sunday night to Monday reached 1,521.
During the operation, law enforcement officers seized a range of weapons and materials, including one foreign pistol, two magazines, 11 rounds of bullets, six shotgun cartridges, three knives, three swords, and one axe, ten crude bombs (cocktails), eight sticks, four iron rods and four machetes (Ramda).
Speaking to journalists at the Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner’s Office on Monday, Home Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced that ‘Operation Devil Hunt’ would continue until all criminals across the country are apprehended.
“No one, whether a major or minor offender, will be spared during ‘Operation Devil Hunt.’ Only those engaging in criminal activities will be targeted. Even law enforcement officials are not exempt from this operation. It will continue until the country is free of these ‘devils,'” he stated.
The Home Adviser also assured the public that the operation would not target innocent individuals and measures were being taken to ensure no wrongful arrests. “All necessary steps are in place to prevent the arrest of innocent persons during ‘Operation Devil Hunt.’ Multiple committees have been formed to monitor this,” he emphasised.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the purpose of ‘Operation Devil Hunt’ is to bring anti-state groups, terrorists, and criminals under the rule of law.
The operation commenced on February 8 following an incident on February 7, where Awami League activists reportedly attacked students and civilians in Gazipur during a student-civil uprising. The attack, led by leaders and activists of the deposed autocrat Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, resulted in casualties and worsened the law and order situation.
In response to the Gazipur attack, the Ministry of Home Affairs, law enforcement agencies, and senior security officials convened meetings to address the country’s deteriorating security situation.
This led to the initiation of ‘Operation Devil Hunt’.On Sunday, the Police Headquarters reported that a total of 1,308 individuals had been arrested by that afternoon during the operation and other related drives.
As part of the crackdown, a joint force conducted overnight raids in Hatiya, Noakhali, arresting seven individuals, including a former Union Parishad chairman and the president of a local Awami League unit. The arrested individuals will be presented before the judicial court on Monday.
