Fear Grows in Sylhet: Over use of looted weapons ahead of nat’l elections
Sylhet Correspondent:
Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2 is underway in the country to recover illegal weapons and catch criminals. The law enforcement agencies have also increased their activity. Extensive preparations are underway at all levels of the EC and the administration for the upcoming 13th National Parliament elections. In such a situation, firearms are increasing the fear across Sylhet. Not only that, along with firearms, powerful explosives and detonators are being recovered at the border in Sylhet. Sound grenades are also being found.
The government has already announced financial rewards to strengthen the recovery of looted police weapons and ammunition across the country, including Sylhet. The government has informed that a specified reward will be given to the real informant if he can accurately locate various types of weapons and ammunition looted by the police.
The Bangladesh Police said in a notification that a reward of up to 50,000 taka will be given for information leading to the recovery of looted pistols and shotguns, 100,000 taka for Chinese rifles, 150,000 taka for SMGs and up to 500,000 taka for LMGs. In addition, a reward of 500 taka has been set for information on each round of bullets.
But even in this, firearms are not being recovered in Sylhet. As a result, many are worried about the law and order situation during the election period.
It has been learned that after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2025, miscreants attacked 6 police stations and several outposts in Sylhet metropolis and looted a large amount of weapons and bullets.
According to police information, a total of 101 firearms and 5,740 rounds of bullets were looted. Several weapons and ammunition have also been recovered. Even then, there is still no trace of 18 weapons and 5,199 rounds of bullets. In addition, during the July 2024 uprising, a section of the Awami League’s Jubo League and Chhatra League openly practiced firearms on the streets of Sylhet city in July-August.
Modern pistols, rifles and sniper guns were seen in these armed exercises in the city’s Akhalia, Court Point, Zindabazar and Chowhatta areas. Police said that these weapons were used publicly during the anti-discrimination student movement on July 18 and August 4. But even in the one and a half years since the July uprising, law enforcement agencies have not been able to recover a single weapon displayed.
Although several firearms have been recovered from Sylhet division and Brahmanbaria district in RAB operations. However, the number of those weapons looted from police stations and used by terrorists in the July 24 uprising was very small.