Joint ops against illegal arms producing good results: IGP

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Mainul Islam today said the ongoing joint operation to recover illegal firearms has already produced good results and expected that more will be recovered as the drives progress.
He said the police are currently conducting operations to confiscate three categories of firearms: those that were stolen or lost from the police, SSF, and other security forces; firearms with suspended licenses; and illegal firearms.
“We have already recovered many arms, many have abandoned [illegal firearms]… we are expecting that the drives would produce the expected results.” He told journalists at the secretariat about the operation that started yesterday (Tuesday) at midnight.
Referring to the firearms, sold during the last 15 years, he said that the license of those arms and ammunition had been suspended and the owners of those were instructed to submit those to local police stations.
“We gave a deadline to submit those on September 3. Those firearms which are not submitted are now illegal,” he said.
Asked about taking actions against people involved with crimes and corruption during the drive, IGP said the drives have brought results in that regard too.
“We have arrested two former police chiefs and even serving police officers. The process will continue.
Earlier in the day, a Dhaka court placed former inspectors general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and AKM Shahidul Hoque on different terms of remand in two murder cases.
Mamun was placed on an eight-day remand after he was produced before the court at 7:10am with a 10-day remand prayer in a case filed over the death of a grocery shop owner, Abu Saeed, in Mohammadpur on July 19.
In addition, Shahidul was placed on a seven-day remand after he was produced before the court with a 10-day remand prayer in a case filed over the death of 45-year-old trader Abdul Wadud in the city’s New Market area on July 19 during quota reform protests.
Asked about the joint drive, Adviser to the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry AF Hassan Arif said the primary goal of the joint drive is recovering the firearms and taking legal actions against those who haven’t submitted yet.
The adviser came up with the remark in reply to a reporter’s query at the secretariat.
According to the PHQ data, 5,829 firearms and 6,06,742 bullets were looted from police, different police stations, and establishments.
Of those, 3,763 guns and 2,86,082 bullets were recovered, meaning that 2,066 arms and 3,20,660 bullets remain missing.
After the fall of Hasina-led government on August 5 amid an uprising, mobs looted firearms and bullets from different police stations and establishments across the country.
Since August 12, the Police Headquarters asked several times to hand over the guns and bullets and the deadline to do it ended yesterday.
The government conducts a joint drive, comprising the members of armed forces, BGB, Coast Guard, police, Rab, and Ansar, across the country to recover the arms from today.