The army has recovered around 1,100 sharp weapons from three kitchenware shops in Dhaka’s New Market area during a raid, detaining nine individuals in the process.
The seized items include the notorious ‘samurai’ machetes, Chinese axes, and other sharp-edged weapons commonly used by juvenile gangs and muggers, according to the army.
Briefing reporters at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Camp on Saturday night, Lieutenant Colonel Nazim Uddin, commander of the Daring Tigers of the army’s 46 Independent Brigade, said recent weeks have seen a surge in activities by juvenile gangs and muggers in Dhaka.
“We have repeatedly recovered such weapons from arrested suspects, which led us to intensify our intelligence operations,” he said.
He added that information from media reports and several arrested criminals earlier this month revealed that some areas of the city were selling or renting these weapons. Acting on this intelligence, army personnel conducted a search in New Market and found the household shops stocking these sharp weapons without any necessity for domestic use.
In the briefing he said that the weapons are suspected to have been used in multiple recent murders, assaults, extortion, and robberies. The operation is ongoing, and the recovered weapons will be handed over to the detective police. Authorities are also investigating whether the detained shopkeepers have links with criminal groups.
The army urged traders not to sell such weapons, warning that although some buyers claim to purchase them as souvenirs, in reality, they are often used in crimes. Civil society members have been asked to remain vigilant and report any illegal sale of sharp weapons to the nearest army camp.