Since law enforcers have ramped up security in the south-western part of the country, illegal arms traders have changed their tactics. Reportedly, they are now using the Goainghat area of Sylhet and the border bazaar or border haat at Lakatbazaar, to carry on their deadly trade.
Under the garb of selling ordinary products, illegal weapons can be sold to evade the law enforcers.
These weapons are then brought to Dhaka, employing a variety of ingenious ways.
Dhaka based Counter-Terrorism and Trans-national Crime Unit, CTTC’s special action group has learnt this after arresting two arms traders from Sayedabad on Thursday, Sept 5.
CTTC deputy commissioner, Mohammad Sanwar Hossian, says: “Arms traders always change their routes; earlier, arms came from south-western part and now they are coming via new routes.”
'Three persons of the arms trading ring were arrested and we are trying to nab the others,' he said.
From those arrested three rare 12 shot revolvers were recovered.
A CTTC source says that the mastermind of the arms trade is Arab Ali who lives near the border in Sylhet.
One of the arrestees, Dolon, an auto-rickshaw driver by profession, said that he used his vehicle to transfer weapons.
CTTC additional deputy commissioner Jahangir Alam, observed: “The main trader of the group is Arab Ali, now a fugitive. Once he is arrested, the operation of the ring will become clear.”
CTTC officials say that a revolver is brought from near the border for Tk 20,000 and then sold for Tk. 70000 in Dhaka.
Law enforcers have recovered around 100 illegal weapons this year, including an AK-20 from Dhaka.
Reportedly, the weapons being traded in Bangladesh are made illegally in India’s Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland.