Chattogram Faces Rising Crime Risks as Dozens of July Uprising Gunmen and 148 Looted Police Weapons Remain at Large
Photo Collected
CHITTAGONG — Nearly two years after a violent political upheaval led to the mass looting of police stations, authorities in Chittagong remain unable to recover 148 firearms, many of which are now fueling a surge in criminal activity. Beyond the lost police-issued weapons, at least 25 individuals identified as having fired on student protesters during the July 2024 uprising remain at large, evading capture despite photographic and video evidence.
On August 5, 2024, attackers stormed 29 police installations across the city, seizing 944 firearms and over 86,000 rounds of ammunition. While police data indicates that 796 weapons and roughly 56,856 rounds have been recovered, the remaining cache is circulating among criminal syndicates. Law enforcement reports confirm that recovered weapons have been linked to various crimes, including armed robbery and assaults on police officers. In one instance, police recovered pistols used in an attack on officers in the Khulshi area, confirming they had been stolen from the Double Mooring police station.
The investigation into the July uprising involves 151 cases, naming approximately 13,450 individuals, with at least 30,000 additional unidentified suspects. Despite the high volume of cases, police have completed investigations into only 15, filing charges in 12 and submitting final reports in three. Among these, only one murder case has proceeded to the chargesheet stage.
Public anger is centered on the failure to apprehend known political operatives who were filmed firing pistols, shotguns, and improvised firearms at protesters in areas such as Muradpur, Bahaddarhat, and New Market. Analysis of footage from July and August 2024 identified 46 gunmen affiliated with the Awami League, Jubo League, and the now-banned Chhatra League. While 21 suspects have been arrested, many remain fugitive; some have even maintained active profiles on social media while evading law enforcement.
Identified figures who remain at large include former Jubo League leader Helal Akbar Chowdhury Babar, who was filmed wielding a pistol in Muradpur, and Rintu, a former Chhatra League official seen with a shotgun near Askar Dighir Par. Others, such as Mohiuddin Farhad and various local Jubo League associates linked to the Bahaddarhat area, were also identified in footage, though several of their known associates have been apprehended. Police note that while some suspects were caught, the weapons used in the attacks—often captured on camera—frequently remain missing.
Aminur Rashid, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Media) for Chittagong, stated that operations to recover the outstanding weapons and arrest the remaining fugitives are ongoing. He noted that while some stolen weapons were recovered after changing hands in the criminal underworld, others were found abandoned.
Akhtar Kabir Chowdhury, secretary of the Chittagong chapter of SHUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance), warned that the failure to arrest those seen firing weapons publicly, combined with the continued circulation of police-grade arms, is fostering a climate of terror and emboldening criminal elements throughout the city.
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