Loaded police gun snatched, recovered 4 hours later

A loaded pistol, snatched yesterday from a police officer in Baufal upazila by tossing chilli powder into his eyes, was recovered about four hours later.

The gun along with 10 bullets was found inside a plastic bag on top of a coconut tree at house of a villager who is the prime suspect for the crime.

Police also arrested eight people, including prime suspect Dulal Hawlader, in this connection, said Khandakar Mostafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Baufal Police Station.

The firearm was snatched around 9:30am when Mainuddin, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of the police station, along with two other policemen went to Borodalima village to quell a clash between two groups of people over 9.11 acres of disputed land.

The clash erupted between the two groups -- one led by Dulal Hawlader and the other by Abdul Hakim Hawlader -- when Dulal and his men started preparing the land with a tractor and Hakim along with his men resisted the attempt, said locals.     

Informed by locals, ASI Mainuddin and his team arrived at the scene to restore calm in the area, but they soon came under attack of Dulal and his accomplices wielding sticks.    

At one point, Dulal ran home and brought chilli powder that he threw in ASI Mainudin’s eyes. While the other two police members were occupied handling the mob and Mainuddin rendered incapacitated, Dulal disappeared from the scene after removing the ASI’s firearm from holster around his waist, said police sources.  

At the call of the police team, reinforcements were sent out to the village and they, with support from local union parishad chairman, made the arrests and found the loaded weapon on top of a coconut tree in Dulal’s house around 1:30pm, they added. 

The OC of the police station said six of the arrestees -- Dulal Hawlder, Elias, Mizan, Dhalu, Kamal Hossain and Abdur Rob -- were admitted to Baufal Upazila Health Complex for their injuries sustained during the clash with their rivals.  

A case was filed with the police station in this connection.