Police and the Rapid Action Battalion have filed three cases over the recovery of a large cache of illegal arms, ammunition and explosives during a joint forces operation in the Jungle Salimpur area of Sitakunda in Chattogram. Authorities have arrested 22 people so far in connection with the incidents.
Police lodged two cases and Rab-7 filed another at Sitakunda Police Station on Tuesday morning.
Officials disclosed the details during a press briefing at the office of the DIG of Chattogram Range around 1:30pm.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Industrial Zone and DB) Mohammad Russell said “The operation recovered three firearms — a foreign pistol, a locally made pistol and an LG gun. Law enforcers also seized 27 pipe guns, 30 pistol magazines, 57 pipes used for making weapons, 61 cartridges and 1,113 rounds of different types of ammunition.”
“Officers also recovered 11 crude bombs and a lathe machine used to manufacture pipe guns, along with a large quantity of equipment used for producing illegal arms” he added.
Rab-7 Commanding Officer Lt Col Hafizur Rahman said the recovered ammunition included 7.62mm, 9mm and .22 bore rounds.
He said “Such ammunition is commonly seen in the Myanmar border region and does not originate from any government source in Bangladesh.”
He added “Criminal groups had developed a strong operational hub in the Jungle Salimpur area. The recent drive dismantled that network.”
According to him, the operation helped avert potential major security threats in the future.
Chattogram Range DIG Ahsan Habib Palash said “Authorities will initially propose establishing an investigation centre in Jungle Salimpur instead of a full police station.”
He said the main goal is not merely setting up a police station but ensuring effective administrative control over the area.
Chattogram Divisional Commissioner Muhammad Ziauddin said the situation has now stabilised.
“The government will gradually implement several pending development projects in the area, including plans for constructing a central jail” said Ziauddin.
He added that authorities will take further steps regarding the nearly one lakh people living in the area based on policy decisions from the relevant ministries.
The large-scale operation began at around 5:30am on Monday in the Jungle Salimpur area under Sitakunda Model Police Station. Chattogram district police said authorities launched the drive following long-standing allegations of militant activities, illegal arms stockpiling, hill cutting for plot sales and the presence of criminal hideouts in the area.
A total of 3,183 personnel from different law enforcement agencies took part in the operation. They included 487 members of the Bangladesh Army, 146 from district police, 800 from Chattogram Metropolitan Police, 400 from Reserve Range Force (RRF) Chattogram, 100 from Feni district police, 300 from hill district police units, 330 from Armed Police Battalion (APBn), 122 from Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and 371 from RAB. Seven executive magistrates also supervised the operation.
The forces used three helicopters, 15 armoured personnel carriers, three dog squads from RAB and Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP), and 12 drones during the raid.
DIG Ahsan Habib Palash led the operation, while Additional DIG Mohammad Nazimul Haque and Chattogram District Superintendent of Police Mohammad Nazir Ahmed Khan supervised the activities on the ground.
After the operation, authorities set up two temporary police camps in the area to maintain law and order and prevent criminals from regrouping. The camps are located at SM Pilot High School and Alinagar High School, where a total of 360 law enforcement personnel have been deployed.
RAP said the operation marked the first phase of the drive, which focused on entering the area and dismantling criminal networks.
The second phase is now under way to establish administrative control and strengthen law enforcement presence in Jungle Salimpur.
