Law enforcement agencies have yet to recover a significant stock of weapons and ammunition looted from police stations and outposts during the July uprising and the fall of the government on 5 August.
While most items have been retrieved in nationwide raids, authorities acknowledge that Chinese-made rifles, some Chinese sub-machine guns and other firearms remain unaccounted for—along with a large quantity of ammunition—raising concerns over public safety ahead of the next national election.
AHM Shahadat Hossain, Assistant Inspector General (Media & PR) at Police Headquarters, said 460 police facilities were damaged during the unrest, including 114 police stations (58 vandalised and 56 set ablaze), and 1,024 vehicles. In total, 5,756 weapons were looted; 4,413 have been recovered, leaving 1,343 still missing. Of the 6,52,082 rounds of ammunition taken, 3,94,434 rounds have been found. Initial reports indicate that Chinese rifles, pistols and some Chinese SMGs remain unrecovered, though all “C-category” SMGs have been retrieved.
The armed forces reported that a recent month-long operation led to the seizure of 65 illegal weapons and 297 rounds of ammunition, alongside the recovery of 9,794 weapons and 2,87,359 rounds of ammunition over the same period.
Jannat-ul-Farhad, the assistant inspector general of prisons, said 2,247 inmates escaped during the turmoil from facilities in Narsingdi, Satkhira, Kushtia, Sherpur and the Kashimpur High Security Central Jail. Of 67 weapons looted from prisons, 27 have been recovered.
Around 1,500 escapees have been re-arrested, with some 700 returning voluntarily. Ninety-three of those who fled were designated “special category” inmates; 60 have since been detained, while efforts to apprehend the remainder are under way.
Investigators have documented instances of looted arms entering illicit markets. Police in Chattogram said they recovered a stolen revolver and ammunition from two suspects arrested in May, while officers in Dhaka’s Khilgaon area reported seizing 12 rounds for a Chinese rifle from a detainee who admitted selling ammunition.
Border agencies have also intercepted illegal weapons entering Bangladesh. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) says it has intensified surveillance and seized firearms and ammunition in recent months amid attempts to smuggle arms across frontiers—activity analysts warn could aggravate tensions around the vote.
In August last year, the Home Ministry suspended all civilian firearm licences issued between 6 January 2009 and 5 August 2024 and ordered licence holders to deposit their weapons and ammunition with police by 3 September. A total of 9,191 weapons were surrendered across all 64 districts, but 1,654 were not turned in and are now deemed illegal.
To accelerate recoveries, the government’s law-and-order core committee announced rewards of up to Tk 500,000 for information leading to the retrieval of weapons: Tk 50,000 for a shotgun or pistol, Tk 100,000 for a Chinese rifle or SMG, Tk 500,000 for an LMG, and Tk 500 per round of ammunition.
Dr Md Tawohidul Haque, an associate professor at Dhaka University’s Institute of Social Welfare and Research and a crime analyst, said the looted arms are linked to criminal activity and could be used to foment serious unrest during or after the election if not swiftly recovered.
He urged authorities to intensify technology-driven investigations and intelligence operations to find the weapons and re-arrest hardened fugitives, noting that a nationwide vote requires security measures beyond the capital.
Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retired) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury pledged to keep election security under control, saying not every missing weapon may be recovered but that comprehensive measures are being taken—and special preparations will be made if required.
Police say daily operations are continuing to seize arms and illegal equipment, alongside specialised training to maintain a conducive environment for the polls.
SMS/
