Panic of illegal weapons entry runs high ahead of election

Syed Shemul Parvez :
As the general elections knocking the door, law enforcement agencies have intensified their efforts to recover illegal weapons across the country.

The panic among the common people, including government, law enforcement and security analysts, are also growing extremely over a surge of illegal arms centering the election.

Despite continuous crackdown by law enforcement agencies against arms smuggling, the incidents of arms shipments and trafficking are rising crossing the borders.

Though some arms shipments are occasionally intercepted in the border areas, most of the shipments enter the country dozingthe eyes of the law enforcement agencies.

Intelligence agencies have received important information that a section of people is engaged themselves in the illicit arms trade, smuggling weapons across the country.

Even those who have valid arms involved in illegal activities with that weapon.

According to law enforcement sources, illegal weapons are entering the country through at least 17 routes along the Bangladesh-India and Bangladesh-Myanmar borders.

Experts and security analyst believes that illegal arms dealers will likely become more active leading up to the parliamentary polls.

Sources from BGB headquarters said that from January to October this year, BGB raided the borders of the country and recovered 83 firearms and 597 bullets.

According to the sources of the police headquarters, in 2022, the police recovered 3,152 firearms in raids across the country.The previous year in 2021, 2,310 firearms were recovered.

The elite force Rapid Action Battalion has recovered 581 illegal firearms, and arrested 266 people in connection till the November of 2023.

Earlier In 2022, RAB recovered 1394 firearms, arrested 631, in 2021 recovered 846 firearms, arrested 853 and In 2020 RAB recovered 698 firearms and arrested 544 people in this connection.

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has recovered at least 46 firearms and arrested 914 people in connection in 2023 (till November).

Earlier In 2022, DMP recovered 65 firearms, arrested 410, in 2021 recovered 151 firearms, arrested 279, in 2020 recovered 130 firearms and arrested 242 people, in 2019 173 firearms recovered, 349 held and in 2018 DMP recovered 151 firearms and arrested 727 people in this connection.

Intensifying the issue, Kh Mahid Uddin, additional commissioner (crime and operations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said that to stop use of illegal firearms ahead of the upcoming national election, police have started drives to recover such weapons.

Additionally, licensed firearms are also required to be submitted to designated police stations before the election, as per Election Commission laws.