Despite ongoing special police operations, rising murder rates and a surge in illegal small arms, including sophisticated pistols, AK-style rifles and “pen guns” from the US, China and Europe, have fuelled intense public anxiety.
Weapons flow daily through 25 to 30 border points, primarily via the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Jashore and Myanmar routes (Naikhyongchhari, Ukhia and Teknaf). Compounding the crisis, firearms looted from police custody remain unrecovered.
Criminologists say these homicides are driven by economic and political motives, frequently carried out by contract criminals who often reoffend after securing bail.
Experts argue that suppressing this crime wave depends entirely on political will and impartial policing.
Muhammad Omar Faruk, professor of criminology and police science at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, warned, “We cannot control crime without cross-party political will and an independent police force. Paying lip service to ‘zero tolerance’ is futile; we need a substantial increase in detective and intelligence operations.”
Former IGP Khoda Baksh Chowdhury also emphasised that, rather than relying solely on monthly or annual statistics, law enforcement must urgently adapt its tactics to actively suppress these syndicates and break criminals’ confidence.
Shooting incidents on the rise
According to police data, Bangladesh recorded 1,142 murders in the first four months of 2024, with many involving public shootings.
At least 22 people have been shot dead since January, while over 138 individuals suffered gunshot wounds between January last year and 30 April this year.
Furthermore, at least 11 political leaders and activists were shot in May alone. Investigators say the majority of these incidents were linked to extortion, internal turf wars, dominance and political disputes.
Several high-profile cases highlight this violent trend.
On Saturday, gunmen killed Juba Dal leader Maksudul Haque Chowdhury Masud, 45, in broad daylight at Pahartali Bazar in Raozan, Chattogram.
Masud, a resident of Betagi Union, was senior joint convener of Rangunia Upazila Juba Dal and a close follower of BNP MP Hummam Quader Chowdhury.
The previous afternoon, gunmen shot dead BNP leader Gazi Rafiqul Islam, alias “Dhakaiya Rafiq”, 48, in the Dakshin Luantchara Mathabhanga area of Batiaghata Upazila. This further increased Khulna city’s annual murder toll, despite an ongoing special operation by Khulna Metropolitan Police.
That same afternoon in Rampura, Dhaka, Yasin Khan Palash, 50, alias “Kailla Palash”, was shot in the head at point-blank range. Recently released after serving 25 years on the police’s “top wanted criminal” list, Palash remains in critical condition at Dhaka Medical College Hospital due to ongoing underworld disputes.
Meanwhile, officers uncovered evidence of 62 murders in the Jashore border area over the last 18 months, mostly carried out using smuggled foreign pistols.
Shootings following failed extortion attempts
At around 9pm on Wednesday, 10 June, gunmen fired four rounds at the home of businessman Jamir Hossain in Chandrapur, within Siddhipasha Union of Jashore’s Abhaynagar, after a ransom demand went unpaid.
Similarly, on the night of 23 May, extortionists opened fire at the main gate of AKB Group owner Abul Kashem’s residence in Sector 7 of Uttara in the capital. Strikingly, this was the second shooting targeting the property within two and a half months.
Earlier, on the evening of 18 April, a gang of 12 to 13 men stormed the AKM Apparels factory in Mirpur, Dhaka, demanding a ransom of Tk 1 crore from owner Kamrul Islam. When he refused, two of the men drew pistols and fired warning shots. Although RAB-4 later arrested four suspects, officers failed to recover the weapons.
In another audacious attack, criminals opened fire on a businessman’s house in Chattogram despite it being under police guard. The shooting occurred at the Chandanpura residence of Smart Group Chairman Mostafizur Rahman at around 6.30am on 28 February. Mostafizur claimed associates of fugitive criminal Sajjad Ali carried out the attack after failing to extort a multi-crore ransom.
The illegal arms market
In addition to the outright sale and purchase of weapons smuggled through various border routes, a thriving rental market for firearms also exists.
Brands such as Armani, CZ, Pietro Beretta and Tavor, alongside various 9mm pistols, are highly prized in the criminal underworld.
The market price for 9mm automatic weapons is significantly higher than that of 7.65mm or 7.05mm pistols. Conversely, locally manufactured zip guns or lower-quality weapons crossing the border fetch the lowest prices, typically between Tk15,000 and Tk20,000.
On the black market, a standard Indian revolver or a 7.65mm pistol sells for Tk40,000 to Tk80,000. Demand for 9mm pistols remains high, with these automatic firearms commanding Tk70,000 to Tk90,000.
Foreign automatic pistols stamped with counterfeit seals or logos of prominent American and European brands (such as Beretta) change hands for Tk80,000 to Tk1,50,000. Sources close to the underworld reveal, however, that an extensive stockpile of highly sophisticated military-grade weapons remains in circulation among criminal syndicates.
According to Police Headquarters figures, 18,328 people have been arrested so far in the ongoing special operation that began last May. Of them, 331 suspects were detained specifically for possession of illegal weapons, with numerous firearms seized during this period.
Notably, a young man named Mehedi Hasan, alias “Dipu”, was arrested in Madhya Badda. The cache recovered included 11 high-quality foreign firearms, including revolvers and pistols manufactured in the US, China, Turkey and Germany, alongside a sophisticated newly built automatic .22-calibre AK-style rifle and two air guns.
More recently, on 8 June, a 21-year-old man, Abdur Rahman, alias “Rahim”, was intercepted in Gopalpur Union of Noakhali’s Begumganj. Officers found three foreign pistols, eight rounds of ammunition and three magazines concealed around his waist during a routine checkpoint operation in front of Baitun Noor Jame Mosque on the Gopalpur–Banglabazar road.
