Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested two alleged armed men and seized a rare foreign-made Sterling submachine gun, a foreign-made pistol and 34 rounds of live ammunition in separate raids in Rajbari's Sadar and Goalanda upazilas.

The arrested men were identified as Md Momin Molla and Hasan Ali Biswas. RAB said they have links to the banned Sarbahara Party's Manju-Jahangir group.

The arrests were made in separate operations conducted by members of RAB-10's CPC-3 Faridpur Camp on Wednesday evening and night, RAB-10 Commanding Officer Additional DIG Md Asaduzzaman told a press conference at the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar on Thursday afternoon.

 Company Commander of RAB's Faridpur Camp, Major Farhan Mahmud Moktada, was also present.

Briefing reporters, the Commanding Officer said, acting on a tip-off, its members conducted the first raid at Mahishkhola Mollabari area under Pachuria Union in Rajbari Sadar around 6:45 pm on Wednesday. Momin Molla was arrested during the operation.

RAB recovered a foreign-made Sterling submachine gun, two magazines, 28 rounds of live ammunition and two mobile phones from his possession.

Asaduzzaman said Momin Molla is a Saudi Arabia expatriate who returned to Bangladesh about a month ago and was scheduled to fly back to Saudi Arabia on August 13.

He added that the recovered Sterling submachine gun is an extremely rare type of firearm.

In another operation around 10:15 pm the same day, RAB arrested Hasan Ali Biswas near Jalil Member Bridge in Chhoto Bhakla Union under Goalanda upazila.

During the raid, RAB recovered a foreign-made pistol, one magazine, six rounds of live ammunition, several locally made weapons, four mobile phones and Tk 15,300 in cash from his possession.

The RAB-10 chief said preliminary interrogation revealed that both arrested men have links to the Sarbahara Party, while Hasan Ali Biswas is associated with the party's Manju-Jahangir group.

 He said RAB's drive to arrest the group's leader, Manju-Jahangir, is continuing.

He also said local residents had been disturbed by the alleged criminal activities of the arrested men. RAB will seek remand of the accused to identify the source of the weapons, their use and other associates.

RAB said cases under the Arms Act are being filed against the two men with the respective police stations and legal action is underway.