Staff Correspondent:

More than 1,300 firearms looted from police stations and prisons during last year’s mass uprising remain unaccounted for, raising alarm among law enforcement and crime experts as targeted killings surge ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The weapons were stolen in the aftermath of the Awami League government’s fall on August 5, 2024, when mobs attacked and torched police installations across the country.

According to police headquarters, a total of 5,753 firearms were looted from stations, outposts, and vehicles.

While 4,390 have since been recovered through joint operations launched on September 4 last year, at least 1,344 weapons are still missing.

Prisons Department sources confirmed that 94 firearms were looted from Narsingdi and Sherpur jails during the July movement. Of those, 67 have been recovered, leaving 27 unaccounted for.

Security analysts warn that the missing weapons are fueling a wave of violence, with criminals allegedly using them to carry out politically motivated killings.

“These arms have fallen into the hands of organized gangs and are being used in targeted assassinations,” Professor Dr Md Omar Faruk, chairman of the Criminology and Police Science Department at Maulana Bhashani University of Science and Technology, told Journalists.

SPIKE IN TARGETED KILLINGS

Recent incidents point to a disturbing trend.

On November 17, Golam Kibria, member secretary of Pallabi unit Jubo Dal, was shot dead inside a shop in Mirpur.

Earlier, notorious gang figure Tariq Saif Mamun was gunned down in front of the District and Sessions Judge Court in Old Dhaka.

In Chittagong, Sarwar Hossain alias Babla was killed while attending a political event of the BNP.

On November 16, Alauddin Mridha was shot and hacked inside his home in Khulna’s Karimnagar.

Police sources and crime experts believe these are coordinated target killings linked to underworld networks.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) reported 198 murders in the capital over the past 10 months, an average of nearly 20 per month.

A separate report by the human rights group Odhikar documented 40 extrajudicial killings since the interim government took office, including 19 by gunfire, 14 through torture, and 7 in beatings.

‘TARGET KILLINGS CANNOT BE PREVENTED’

Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam acknowledged the gravity of the situation but said the criminal justice system has limitations.

“If someone shoots another in a targeted manner, there is no preventive mechanism anywhere in the world. We can investigate and arrest, but we cannot prevent such killings,” he told journalists.

The IGP added that the use of illegal weapons predates the uprising and continues unabated.

“Except for Patenga and Munshiganj, where looted police weapons were used, most murders involve illegal arms already in circulation.”

Professor Faruk warned that the country has become a “sanctuary for crime” following the release of top terrorists and militants after August 5.

“Terrorists are exploiting political, economic, and familial networks to commit killings. The police, distracted by election duties, are struggling to contain them,” he said.

He urged authorities to identify and neutralize these groups, and called on Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to tighten control over cross-border arms trafficking.