DHAKA, Sept 2, 2021 (BSS) - Detectives of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested five arms traders and recovered eight firearms during a raid in the capital's Mirpur, Darussalam and Gabtoli areas early today.

DMP additional commissioner (DB) AKM Hafiz Akhter told journalists at a press conference that police seized eight foreign pistols, eight bullets, 16 magazines and one private car from their possessions during the drive.
He said the detainees are Akul Hossain, Illias Hossain, Abdul Azim, Faruk Hossain and Fazlur Rahman. They are members of a transnational arms trading group.

Of the arrestees, Akul, a listed criminal, collected firearms from Benapole frontier and sold those to Jashore, Khulna, Bagerhat, Dhaka and other parts of the country since 2014. He was accused in at least eight cases, Hafiz said.

"He used to smuggle firearms from India and sell those in the country," he said.

Satkhira, Jashore and Chapainawabganj are the three key points of smuggling the firearms. Robbers, thieves and land grabbers are mostly the buyers, the DB official added.