Dodgy arms dealer detained
He has been running a licensed firearms shop in Chuadanga for the last nine years but official documents show he has not sold even a single firearm during the period.
In reality, Mirza Bashar Begh, 55, bought at least a hundred legally imported firearms from different arms dealers against his shop “Begh Arms Company” since 2011, and then sold those to criminals, especially in Jashore, Kushtia and Jhenidah, say police.
This came to light after a team of Special Action Group (SAG) of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested Begh and another firearms seller, Abu Zafar Md Rezaul Karim alias Mukul, from the capital’s Darussalam on Friday night for selling licensed firearms illegally.
Mejbah Uddin, inspector of the CTTC unit, told this newspaper yesterday that they recovered a .32 bore revolver and 56 bullets from Begh.
Begh bought the firearm and bullets from Mukul, 53, manager of licensed firearms shop “Khaza Arms and Sons” in Bogura, the official mentioned.
Quoting Mukul, another CTTC unit official said Begh Arms Company bought at least 20 firearms in the last five years.
But it never mentioned buying or selling any firearms in its yearly reports to the deputy commissioner’s office.
Begh renewed his arms dealership licence every year by paying a fee of Tk 20,000, added the official on the condition of anonymity.
“We kept an eye on the duo for the last couple of years after we learnt about the zero sale reports of a firearms dealer for the last nine years,” Jahangir Alam, additional deputy commissioner of the SAG of the CTTC unit, told this correspondent.
On Friday, the duo came to the capital to hand over the revolver and bullets to a gang of criminals.
The law enforcers arrested the two from the scene but the gang members managed to flee, said Jahangir.
Investigators said the duo and the gang used “code words” for buying or selling firearms.
“Through interrogation of the arrestees and recorded phone conversation between them, we came to know that they used code word ‘motorbike’ for a shotgun, ‘lipstick’ for a shotgun bullet, ‘mobile’ for a revolver or a pistol and ‘battery’ for a bullet,” said a high official of the CTTC unit involved in the investigation.
Asked about the price of the firearms, the official said Begh told them during grilling that he contacted Mukul for buying two revolvers, a pistol and 500 bullets for Tk 8.30 lakh.
“In the last three months, Begh sent Mukul Tk 11 lakh via courier services as payment for firearms,” the official said, quoting the arrestees.
During interrogation, Mukul further said he started working at Khaza Arms in 1999. He has been looking after the business after the shop owner fell sick.
In the sales reports submitted to the DC’s office, Mukul mentioned that he sold firearms to Begh Arms Company, added the official.
“They not only sell legally imported arms to criminals, but also buy illegal firearms from Chapainawabganj border. They then sell those to criminals,” said another high-up of the CTTC unit, seeking anonymity.
They charge Tk 35,000 to Tk 50,000 for an illegal firearm, and Tk 80,000 to 2 lakh for a legally imported firearm depending on model, the official claimed.
ADC Jahangir said they are now looking for Robi, 45, and Pagla Bhai, 42.
“We learnt that Begh supply firearms mostly to Robi, who then hands those over to criminals in bordering districts. Pagla Bhai is one of Begh’s customers,” he added.
The CTTC unit yesterday filed a case with Darussalam Police Station against five people, including Begh, Mukul, and Robi.
ADC Jahangir said, “We will submit applications to the DC’s offices concerned, seeking details on the monthly reports of the shops and also statements of district magistrates in this regard.”
This was not the first time licensed arms dealers were arrested for selling firearms illegally.
Last year, CTTC officials arrested three arms dealers and a manager, and recovered 28 firearms and 2,810 bullets from them.
In 2012, the detective branch of police arrested the owners of two firearms shops in Khulna and the capital, and seized illegal arms from them.
There are 69 authorised arms dealers across the country, according to the association of authorised arms dealers.
CTTC officials claim they have information that at least 13 people are involved with the nexus that sells legally imported firearms to criminals.
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