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Police have arrested four people and seized firearms, ammunition and a notebook listing alleged extortion targets during a joint operation in the hilly area of Jungle Salimpur in Chattogram.
The operation was conducted on Thursday afternoon, October 8, in Bahadur Ghona, about three kilometres from the Alinagar camp of Sitakunda Police Station, Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Md Junayet Kawsar said in a press release on Friday.
The arrestees were identified as Md Russell, 30, Md Morshed, 33, Md Babu, 32, and Md Sabbir, 32. Police said they were from different areas of Chattogram and Brahmanbaria and had been living in various parts of the Chhinnamul area of Jungle Salimpur.
Police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Special Response Battalion (SRB) took part in the operation, which was conducted on the basis of confidential information under the leadership of the officer-in-charge of Sitakunda Police Station, following instructions from Superintendent of Police Md Masud Alam.
The seized items included a shotgun, a Chinese pistol, nine lead bullets, six cartridges, a spear-like weapon, four Android mobile phones, a power bank and a notebook containing a list of alleged extortion targets.
Junayet said one of the suspects pointed a firearm at police during the raid, but no exchange of fire took place. Police brought the situation under control using tactical measures and recovered the weapons.
Russell has three previous cases under the Arms Act, while Morshed has faced two robbery cases and one arms case, according to police. Investigators are also examining the alleged criminal activities of the other two suspects.
Preliminary information suggests that the four were involved in extortion and other criminal activities in Jungle Salimpur, the additional superintendent said.
Asked whether the suspects were linked to either of the two criminal groups operating in the area, Junayet said the operation did not target any specific group. Police take action whenever they receive information about the whereabouts of suspected criminals, he added.
On the persistence of criminal activities in Jungle Salimpur despite repeated raids, Junayet said the situation had improved compared with the past. He said outsiders had previously faced restrictions on entering the area and journalists had been attacked and had their cameras snatched while covering events there.
Such incidents were no longer occurring, he claimed, adding that tackling crime was an ongoing process and all offenders could not be brought to justice in a single day. Police would continue operations in phases to bring those involved in criminal activities to justice, he said.