Gunfire, drug haul at Moulvibazar border
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has arrested an Indian national allegedly involved in cross-border smuggling after he was found carrying a foreign-made pistol, ammunition and yaba tablets in Moulvibazar.
The 35-year-old, identified as Bolai Namasudra, was arrested on Thursday night (August 27) in the Kumarshail border area of Barlekha upazila.
He is a resident of Gobindapur under Latu Police Station in Karimganj district of Assam, India.
The arrest followed an operation by a special patrol team of the BGB’s Beanibazar Battalion after receiving information that an Indian smuggling group was entering Bangladesh through the border area with illegal firearms and drugs.
According to the BGB, the smugglers opened fire after sensing the presence of the patrol team. The BGB personnel returned fire in self-defence, prompting the group to flee.
The patrol team then pursued the smugglers and arrested Namasudra, who was injured during the incident.
A foreign-made pistol, two rounds of .22-bore ammunition and 500 yaba tablets were recovered from his possession, the BGB said.
Lieutenant Colonel Md Ataur Rahman Sujon, commanding officer of the Beanibazar Battalion (52 BGB), said the detainee was part of a smuggling syndicate operating along the border.
“The recovered arms and drugs had been brought into Bangladesh for supply,” he said.
The incident has highlighted the continuing security risks posed by cross-border criminal networks, particularly the trafficking of firearms and narcotics into Bangladesh through vulnerable border routes.
The detainee was handed over to Barlekha Police Station, where the BGB filed a case under relevant provisions of the law. Police later produced him before a court, which sent him to jail on Friday afternoon.
Barlekha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Moniruzzaman Khan confirmed that the BGB had handed over an Indian national arrested with 500 yaba tablets, two rounds of ammunition and a pistol-like weapon.
The BGB said efforts were under way to identify and arrest the other members of the group who fled the scene.
