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The Special Response Battalion (SRB) has urged the public to provide information on looted and illegal weapons scattered across different parts of the country. The force said informants’ identities would be kept confidential and they would be rewarded in accordance with government rules.
Wing Commander A Z M Entekhab Chowdhury, director of the SRB’s law and media wing, disclosed the information while responding to journalists’ questions at the SRB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka, on Friday (September 18).
He said the government and SRB were conducting special operations to recover looted weapons from different parts of the country. Various types of weapons have already been recovered through operations by the Bangladesh Police, Army and SRB, he said, adding that public cooperation was now needed to accelerate the recovery efforts.
Entekhab Chowdhury said preliminary information was available on the locations of illegal weapons in areas including Khulna, Rajshahi and Chattogram. However, the lack of sufficient information was making it difficult in many cases to identify and recover the weapons. He urged anyone with information about such weapons to inform law enforcement agencies.
The SRB official said some people might have taken weapons looted from police stations during incidents without having any criminal intent. They may have taken the weapons due to the circumstances or in the heat of the moment and now may not know what to do with them. Some may also be afraid to report the matter because of possible legal consequences.
He said the initiative to collect information had been taken to address this problem.
“Leave the weapons at any location and provide us with the information. Even if you tell us that there are two pistols, one rifle, 10 magazines or ammunition at a particular place, that will be enough for us. We will go there and collect them. The person providing the information will be rewarded by the government, and the matter will be considered when deciding on any legal action against them,” he said.
On the crime situation in Mohammadpur, Entekhab Chowdhury said reducing crime was an ongoing process and that it was not possible to completely change the situation overnight. However, he said the SRB was conducting intensified operations in areas with high crime rates.
He said the number of SRB personnel was being increased in crime-prone areas, while more officers were being deployed for operations. Intelligence activities and cyber surveillance had also been strengthened, he added.
“All possible measures are being taken by the law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Expressing optimism about eliminating crime from Mohammadpur, the SRB official said, “Please cooperate with us and give us a little more time. Cooperate with the police and all other law enforcement agencies. InshaAllah, we will soon be able to eliminate all crime from Mohammadpur.”