Dhaka: Detectives from Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Lalbagh Division have successfully apprehended an alleged arms trader, Azgar Ali alias Bhola, aged 55, on the Dhaka-Mawa highway in Shyampur. Law enforcement officials seized two foreign pistols and 21 rounds of ammunition during the operation.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Deputy Commissioner (DB-Lalbagh Division) Branch Md Mostak Sarkar detailed the arrest during a briefing at the DMP Media Centre. The operation was initiated based on intelligence that an arms dealer was entering Dhaka via a Sohag Paribahan bus. In response, a team from the DB Lalbagh division was stationed in the Chankharpul area Thursday morning.
The detectives positioned themselves strategically in front of Bonoful Sweets shop on the Dhaka-Mawa highway around 1:30 pm. Approximately ten minutes later, they intercepted a bus from Benapole and conducted a search with the assistance of the bus supervisor and helper. The suspect was identified, and a body search revealed a silver-coloured foreign pistol and two silver magazines wrapped with black tape on one side of his waist, and a black-coloured pistol with two black magazines wrapped in plastic tape on the other side.
Deputy Commissioner Mostak Sarkar informed that while no incriminating items were found in Azgar’s bag, 21 rounds of live ammunition were discovered in his trouser pocket. Preliminary interrogation revealed that Azgar hails from the Benapole area of Jashore district. He has a previous arms-related case filed with Khilgaon Police Station in 2021 and was also arrested in 2024 by Savar Police Station with a significant quantity of phensedyl.
Police suspect Azgar is involved in arms trading, although the origins of the weapons and their intended recipients in Dhaka remain unknown. When questioned about any possible link between the arms and the upcoming election, the DB official stated it was too early to establish any connection. The primary concern remains the potential threat to law and order posed by such illegal arms, and further interrogation is expected to shed light on the source and intended buyers of the weapons.