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Published : 05 Nov 2025, 04:50 PM
As the national elections draw near, the Police Headquarters has renewed its call for information on weapons and ammunition looted during the July Uprising, reminding the public of the government’s earlier reward announcement.
Nearly two and a half months after the declaration, police have yet to confirm any rewards being paid or any information received about the missing arms.
The reminder came on Wednesday amid reports that weapons had been looted from a vault at the cargo complex of Shahjalal International Airport following a fire outbreak.
According to the latest notice, the government will offer a reward of Tk 500,000 for information leading to the recovery of a light machine gun (LMG), Tk 150,000 for a submachine gun (SMG), and Tk 100,000 for a Chinese rifle. Information leading to the recovery of a pistol or shotgun will carry a Tk 50,000 reward, while each recovered bullet will fetch Tk 500.
Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury first announced the reward scheme on Aug 25, following a meeting of law-enforcing agencies, assuring that informants’ identities would remain confidential.
After the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5 last year following the mass uprising, violence swept across the country. Police stations and structures were set ablaze, vehicles torched, and large quantities of arms and ammunition looted.
Three days later, the Police Headquarters urged those in possession of the stolen weapons to surrender them, setting a Sept 3 deadline and warning of legal action for non-compliance.
At the time, police reported recovering 1,890 looted weapons, 92,000 rounds of ammunition, 2,880 tear gas shells, and 296 sound grenades.
With the 13th general elections scheduled before Ramadan in February, politicians and law enforcers have expressed concern that the unrecovered weapons could be used in robberies, attacks, or to stoke unrest during the campaign season.
