Police in Khulna have seized pistol magazines, live ammunition, local weapons, and personal identification documents during a raid on an agricultural farm held by the leader of an alleged criminal group known as the ‘Rafik Bahini’. The operation was carried out on Thursday evening in Virat village, situated within Baliadanga Union of Batiaghata upazila. Although law enforcement personnel searched the premises thoroughly, no suspects were detained at the scene, as members of the group managed to flee prior to the arrival of the police team.
Officers conducted the targeted search inside a shelter located near a fish enclosure on the farm property. During the operation, police recovered six empty pistol magazines, one round of live ammunition, an official identity card belonging to the gang leader, Rafik, a mobile handset, and several sharp improvised weapons. Confirming the seizure, Batiaghata Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Mizanur Rahman stated that formal legal proceedings were being prepared, while efforts to trace and apprehend the fleeing suspects were actively under way.
The recovery of arms follows a recent surge in violent crime in Batiaghata that has heightened public concern across the district. On Monday midnight at approximately 12:30 am, a local leader of Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was shot by unidentified assailants. In a separate incident the following afternoon, a second Jubo Dal leader sustained gunshot wounds in another shooting. The consecutive attacks sparked alarm among residents and drew scrutiny towards local policing capabilities.
Following the violent incidents, police authorities took immediate administrative action to restructure leadership at the local police station. The previous Officer-in-Charge of Batiaghata Police Station, Md. Mehedi Hasan, was removed from his position and attached to the Khulna District Police Lines. Inspector (Investigation) S. M. Mizanur Rahman of Paikgacha Police Station was subsequently transferred to fill the vacancy and take over operational command.
The discovery of the weapons stash at Rafik’s farm occurred just twenty-four hours after OC Mizanur Rahman assumed his new role. Local law enforcement officers have increased vigilance and mobile patrols in the area, aiming to curb gang activities and restore public confidence in the upazila’s security apparatus.
