Indian national arrested with 10 firearms, 35 bullets in Dhaka

An Indian national was arrested with 10 small firearms, 35 bullets and 12 magazines at Gabtali in the capital Monday night. 
The arrested is Md Khairul Islam Mandal alias Shariful Mandal alias Shariful, 41, of village Sundarpur under Upannagar Police Station in Uttar 24 Parganas of West Bengal in India, according to police.
He is involved in illegal arms trade and illegally entered into Bangladesh through Benapole border of Jessore, police say.
The small firearms seized from him include six foreign-made pistols and four foreign-made one shooter guns.
As he was produced before a Dhaka court with a remand prayer for 10 days in police custody for interrogation, the court allowed three days.
Sources in DB have said that the metropolitan police’s airport zonal team had information that a man from India was coming to Gabtali with illegal firearms.
The team during a raid at the bus terminal about 10:30pm arrested the man and seized 10 firearms, 35 bullets and 12 magazines.
A case was filed with Darus Salam Police Station. 
At a press briefing at Metropolitan Police’s media centre, DMP joint commissioner (DB) Abdul Baten said that the arrested, in primary interrogation, admitted that he was involved in illegal arms trade and used to bring firearms into Bangladesh from India.
He said that the Indian traders bring illegal firearms to their West Bengal’s den from Bihar in sand-laden trucks and then send the consignment to Bangladesh through Benapol frontier.
Asked about the origin of the firearms, he said that ‘USA’ was written on some of them but if they were really made in the USA or not was a matter of investigation.
Replying to another question whether the arms or the arrested had links to extremism, he said that the type of arms used by extremists in Bangladesh was different from those seized at Gabtali.
The arrest of the Indian national was made when police have been claiming that the arms used in recent Gulshan extremist attack came through India and that the October 24 seizure of 22 Indian pistols, 45 magazines and 136 bullets at a house of government employee in Chapainawabganj municipal area were brought to Bangladesh for using in extremist activities.
Chapainawabganj superintendent of police TM Mujahidul Islam on October 24 had said that the arms consignment was ready to be transported in a truck booked for carrying goats. 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net