The increasing illegal arrival of small firearms reportedly from India to Bangladesh is causing a new headache for the country’s law enforcement agencies, thanks to a well-organised gang of smugglers. The gunrunners have allegedly established an efficient network that spreads across the Indian states of Bihar, West Bangladesh and several Bangladesh districts, especially along the border. Police in both countries are often forced to play a hide-and-seek game with the smugglers. Originating mainly from Bihar, the firearms, most of them 7.65MM pistols, are sold at a high price again through a network to the criminals in Bangladesh, investigators have found. They say at least nine gunrunners of Jashore district have been involved in distributing illegal firearms in various districts, including Dhaka, Khulna and Bagerhat. The firearms are smuggled into Bangladesh mainly through Jashore frontier.  Several Indian arms smugglers’ syndicate, who are locally known as ‘Mohajon’, have been involved in this risky but lucrative clandestine business using Bangladeshi labourers as carriers. The transactions of money are done through ‘hundi ‘and mobile banking apps.   Detectives of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have got the information about the nine Jashore-based Bangladeshi gunrunners and their Indian partners while investigating a recent case of illegal arms consignment.   The detectives have found out that the firearms sneaked through Benapole border are being carried from as far as Bihar.       Based on secret information, three specialized teams of DB (Gulshan Division) arrested five Bangladeshi gunrunners from ‘Borobazar ‘ of Mirpur embankment under Darus Salam police station on  September 1.  They also recovered eight foreign made pistols, eight rounds of bullet, eight blank magazines, five mobile phone sets and a private car from their possessions.  The arrested gunrunners were identified as Md Akul Hossain, 37, Md Abdul Azim, 28, Md Ilias Hossain, Md Milon Hossain, and Md Fazlur Rahman, 35. All are inhabitants of Benapole and Sharsha upazilas in Jashore district.

Irfan Selim, son of Awami League leader Haji Selim and former ward councillor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), was relieved on Monday from a case filed with Chwakbazar Police Station under the Narcotics Control Act.

The High Court on Tuesday asked the authorities concerned to submit a report within March 5 explaining how and on what basis the four bodyguards of GK Shamim secured license for keeping arms.