Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has urged citizens to extend cooperation by sharing information to prevent the infiltration of illegal firearms into the country.
A number of vested groups have been attempting to smuggle firearms across the border in recent months with the ill motive of destabilising the law and order situation in the country, according to BGB.
The paramilitary force has seized a staggering cache of weapons in the past three months alone, it said.
These include 16 local and foreign pistols, two revolvers, two submachine guns, five rifles, 16 homemade guns, three shotguns, three mortar shells, eight hand grenades, 27 other types of weapons, 21 magazines, and 1,003 rounds of ammunition.
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Officials of the BGB headquarters said intelligence surveillance and operational activities have been intensified in border areas to check the entry of such illegal arms.
Seeking people’s active role in combating this threat BGB has opened a dedicated toll free hotline – 01769600555 – where citizens can share information confidentially, said BGB headquarters public relations officer Shariful Islam.
Stopping the influx of illegal weapons is not just a security issue it’s a matter of national interest, he said.