Two suspects were arrested during a night-time raid conducted on Monday, 31 August, in Ward 2 of Mirzapur Union under Hathazari Upazila.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Jamal Hossain and Kabir Ahmad, both residents of Hathazari. Jamal worked locally as a mason, whilst Kabir earned a living as an auto-rickshaw driver. According to law enforcement officials, these primary occupations served as covert disguises to mask their involvement in illegal arms trading.

During preliminary interrogations, the suspects revealed that the seized firearms and ammunition were manufactured inside an auto-rickshaw garage in the Sarkarhat area of Hathazari. The workshop was managed by a garage worker identified as Osman, who ran the facility in the absence of its overseas owner. Taking advantage of the garage environment, Osman secretly crafted firearms and supplied them to Jamal and Kabir for distribution.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Hathazari Circle), Kazi Md Tarek Aziz, stated that officers set up a sting operation by posing as prospective buyers. The suspects agreed to sell the firearms for prices ranging between 20,000 and 50,000 taka per piece. Once the transaction details were finalised, police officers conducted the raid and caught both men in possession of the contraband.

Police officials noted that Jamal’s trade as a mason and Kabir’s work as a driver enabled them to transport and negotiate weapon sales without raising suspicion among local residents or law enforcement authorities.

Following the raid and seizure of the illegal weapons, Hathazari Police Station formally registered a case against the suspects under the Arms Act. Law enforcement teams are actively conducting operations across the region to locate and apprehend Osman, the primary manufacturer involved in the operation.