Shows data from police headquarters

More than 1,300 firearms and over 2,50,000 rounds of ammunition looted from police stations during the July uprising remain missing, with many reportedly now in the hands of criminals and being used in crimes across the country.

The Awami League government was overthrown in a student-led uprising on August 5 last year, following which 5,753 firearms and 6,51,609 rounds of ammunition were looted from various police stations and outposts, according to police headquarters.

Police data updated on August 3 this year shows that despite a joint operation launched on September 4 last year, 1,375 firearms and 2,57,849 rounds of ammunition are still unaccounted for.

Among the unrecovered weapons are rifles, SMGs, LMGs, 7.62x25mm pistols, 9x19mm pistols, shotguns, gas guns, teargas launchers, and 26mm signal pistols.

Amid the situation, the interim government yesterday announced rewards for information leading to the recovery of missing firearms.

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said, "We have launched a special initiative to recover the lost weapons of law enforcement agencies. Those who provide information leading to recovery will be rewarded."

A committee will soon be formed for this purpose, with details to be announced later, he said while addressing reporters after the Law-and-Order Core Committee meeting at the ministry.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Tawhidul Haque, associate professor at Dhaka University's Institute of Social Welfare and Research, said, "The reward initiative is a good idea, but it may not be effective now since a year has passed since the looting."

"These firearms were looted by criminals and have been used or rented out for crimes. These may have been kept in reserve to create instability before the election," he said.

He suggested forming a special team from the army, rather than the police, to conduct drives to recover the firearms immediately.

Meanwhile, police officials say many of the looted weapons are being used in criminal activities.

On the day of the uprising, police stations were attacked nationwide, with widespread incidents of vandalism, arson, and looting.

Police operations ceased by midday, and Ansar members were later deployed to guard the stations. Normal activities resumed on August 13.

USE OF FIREARMS IN CRIMES

Since the recovery drive began, several incidents have linked recovered weapons to crimes.

In January and February, police in Chattogram arrested six people in separate raids and seized firearms, which had been looted from Double Mooring Police Station.

On April 17, police arrested Arif Hossain near Double Mooring Police Station and recovered a pistol and bullets from his hideout. He later confessed that the weapons were looted from the police.

On July 21, a gunfight took place between two criminal groups in Chandgaon of Chattogram. Later, police conducted drives at the scene and discovered two bullets and bullet casings, which were actually looted from police stations.

On August 29 last year, businessman Md Anis was shot dead in Bayezid Bostami area of the port city. Police found five bullet casings marked "police" and a weapon bag at the scene.

In November, the Coast Guard arrested Ziaur Rahman in Maheshkhali with a pistol he admitted was looted from a Chattogram police facility.

In December, police recovered the bullet-riddled body of 22-year-old Shahida Akhter from the Dogachi area of Munshiganj.

Police later arrested her friend Touhid Sheikh, alias Tanmoy, who confessed to shooting her with a pistol stolen from Wari Police Station during the unrest. Police then recovered the weapon used in the murder.

An official of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), requesting anonymity, said a portion of the looted firearms were sold to criminal gangs in Dhaka.

Residents of Mohammadpur alleged that firearms stolen from Mohammadpur and Adabor police stations are now in the hands of criminals.

Iftekhar Hasan, officer-in-charge of Mohammadpur Police Station, said they suspect firearms used in Geneva Camp criminal activities came from looted police weapons.

"We are conducting drives to recover the firearms," he said.