Dhaka, Sept 01 (V7N): The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that a joint operation involving the armed forces and internal security personnel will commence on Wednesday. The operation aims to recover looted, stolen, and unreturned arms, as well as licensed weapons issued to civilians over the past 15 years.

The joint operation team, comprising members from the armed forces, BGB, Police, RAB, and Ansar, will focus on recovering weapons that were not returned to police stations within the designated period, as well as those stolen or looted during mob attacks on police facilities following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government.

During the operation, individuals found in possession of illegal arms who fail to surrender them within the announced timeframe will face legal charges.

Interim Government Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury issued the directive on Sunday, according to Faisal Ahmed, the ministry's Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the announcement through a press release.

A notification signed last night by Arif-Uz-Zaman, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, stated that members of the armed forces, BGB, Police, RAB, and Ansar will form the joint operation team.

Authorities may arrest criminals and those involved in murders during the anti-discrimination protests while recovering looted, unreturned, and illegal firearms, according to sources familiar with the operation.

Earlier, police headquarters warned that legal action would be taken if stolen arms and ammunition were not returned by September 3.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has also suspended firearm licenses issued to civilians over the past 15 years, requiring these weapons to be submitted by September 3.

According to police, 450 police stations were attacked during the mass uprising, with a significant number of arms and ammunition looted during that time.

As of September 1, police had recovered 3,880 firearms, approximately 286,353 bullets, 22,201 tear gas canisters, and 2,139 sound grenades.

However, a large quantity of looted arms and ammunition remains unrecovered, according to police headquarters sources.

Speaking with the Dhaka Tribune on Sunday evening, Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Media and PR) Inamul Haque Sagar said, “We hope that everyone will follow the instructions issued by the Home Ministry and will deposit the looted or stolen arms within the deadline.”

In response to a query, AIG Inamul mentioned that nearly every day, authorities are recovering a significant number of arms and bullets from civilians with arms licenses.

According to police headquarters data, there are 50,310 legal weapons in the country. Among them, 45,226 are personal weapons, with the remaining arms licensed to various financial and other institutions.

These include 4,683 pistols, 2,043 revolvers, 20,809 single-barreled guns, 10,719 double-barreled guns, 5,444 shotguns, 1,706 rifles, and 4,006 other firearms.

Estimates indicate that 10,215 of these weapons are in the possession of politicians. Among them, Awami League activists hold 7,215 firearms, BNP activists 2,587, and 79 legal guns are registered to individuals involved in the politics of other parties.

A notification issued by the Home Ministry on August 25 suspended firearm licenses granted to civilians between January 6, 2009, and August 5, 2024. The notification also instructed that all firearms and ammunition be deposited at the relevant police stations by September 3.

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