Police in Manikganj have recovered an abandoned shotgun from near the truck terminal at Paturia Ferry Ghat in Shibalaya upazila. Law enforcement officers retrieved the firearm at approximately 7:00 PM on Monday, 2nd November 2026, after discovering it inside a drainage canal adjacent to the terminal premises. Preliminary investigations led local police to suspect that the weapon is one of many firearms looted from police stations during the widespread mass uprising of 2024.
According to local eye-witnesses and river port sources, pedestrians and transport workers first spotted a suspicious metallic object lying in the mud and water of the drain alongside the busy truck terminal. Realising that the object appeared to be a firearm, they immediately notified the Shibalaya Police Station and the Paturia Ghat Naval Police Outpost. A specialised team from the police department arrived at the scene shortly afterwards, secured the area, and safely retrieved the shotgun into official custody.
Police officers inspecting the weapon confirmed that it was a heavy shotgun. During the mass anti-government demonstrations and political upheaval in August 2024, several police stations, outposts, and government armouries across various districts were vandalised, set on fire, and looted by unruly crowds and miscreants. Extensive quantities of official arms and ammunition were stolen during those events. Although joint security forces and police units have conducted nationwide arms recovery drives over the subsequent months to retrieve lost government property, a significant number of stolen weapons remain unaccounted for. Law enforcement authorities believe an individual or criminal gang may have disposed of the shotgun in the roadside drain under the cover of darkness to evade ongoing police searches or legal complications.
Paturia Ferry Ghat serves as one of the nation’s vital transit hubs, connecting Dhaka with 21 south-western districts of Bangladesh. Thousands of long-distance buses, goods-laden lorries, and private vehicles pass through the terminal daily. The discovery of an abandoned firearm in an open drainage channel within such a heavily populated transport hub caused temporary concern among local traders, drivers, and transport workers.
Shibalaya Police Station stated that legal procedures have been initiated to investigate the origin of the weapon and identify those responsible for discarding it. Investigators are examining the serial numbers and structural markings on the shotgun to match it with records of arms looted from police stations. Authorities have also intensified security patrols and vigilance around the ferry terminal and terminal premises as part of the ongoing investigation.
