An illegal small arms racket where children were being used as transporters has allegedly been unearthed following the arrest of three men, detention of three boys and seizure of four foreign pistols, eight bullets and seven magazines in Narayanganj and the capital's Merul Badda on Wednesday and yesterday.

The children, aged around 12 and students of class VII, have been sent to National Juvenile Development Centre in Tongi, Gazipur. Police say the children informed of working for the men on being promised music systems but could not state for how long.

Meanwhile, Imran, 22, has been taken on a one-day remand in an arms case Fatullah police filed while Bashir, 25, and Md Masud, 28, on a two-day remand in another arms case filed by Badda cops. All six reside in Merul Badda.

Police first caught Imran and two of the children and found one pistol and five bullets inside a schoolbag they were carrying on Wednesday afternoon after being informed by locals of Aliganj in Fatullah who became suspicious of their movement, Fatullah Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Asaduzzaman told The Daily Star.

Information provided by them led to the rest being gathered from different houses in Merul Badda around 3:00am yesterday, said Badda Police Station OC Abdul Jalil.