Police have arrested two men in Hathazari, Chattogram, on allegations of manufacturing and selling locally made firearms from an auto-rickshaw garage. Five firearms, 20 rounds of ammunition and several pieces of equipment allegedly used to make weapons were recovered during a raid on Monday night.
The arrested men have been identified as Jamal Hossain and Kabir Ahmed, both residents of Hathazari. Jamal works as a construction labourer, while Kabir is known locally as an auto-rickshaw driver. Police said the two allegedly used their ordinary occupations as a cover while secretly dealing in firearms.
According to police, information about the alleged weapons operation emerged during the initial questioning of the two suspects. They reportedly told investigators that the recovered firearms and ammunition were manufactured at an auto-rickshaw garage in the Sarkarhat area of Hathazari.
Police said a garage worker named Osman was allegedly involved in making the weapons. After manufacturing them, he reportedly handed the firearms to Jamal and Kabir for sale.
Investigators also said the garage owner has been living abroad, while Osman had been managing the premises for some time in the owner’s absence. Police suspect that the garage may have been used to manufacture firearms behind the regular vehicle repair work carried out there.
Additional Superintendent of Police and Hathazari Circle officer Kazi Md Tarek Aziz said investigators contacted Jamal and Kabir while posing as potential buyers. During the interaction, the suspects allegedly offered to sell firearms for between Tk 20,000 and Tk 50,000. Police subsequently carried out the operation and arrested them.
The recovered firearms and ammunition have been seized as part of the investigation. Police are examining the weapons and the equipment recovered from the operation while trying to establish how the alleged manufacturing and distribution network operated.
The case has been filed under the Arms Act at Hathazari Police Station. Investigators are also attempting to determine whether other individuals were involved in manufacturing, supplying or selling the weapons.
Police are conducting further operations to locate Osman, the garage worker who has allegedly been identified as the person responsible for manufacturing the firearms. His arrest could help investigators establish the source of the materials, the scale of the alleged operation and the identity of potential buyers.
Authorities have not yet disclosed whether the recovered weapons were linked to any particular criminal incident. The investigation is continuing, and the full extent of the alleged network will become clearer as investigators verify the information obtained from the two arrested men.
