Uzi pistols are being sold to buyers with .22 rifle licences. The law enforcement agencies are alarmed that these semi-automatic weapons used by the armed forces are being sold to the general people. So far 53 such weapons have been purchased from authorised gun shops in various places around the country. One of the buyers is a drug dealer, police sources report.
In the meantime, the police have written to the home ministry, asking that the import of these military graded weapons be stopped. The association of authorised gun shops in the country, Arms Dealers Association, has said that that they have imported 111 of the .22 bore Uzi guns so far, of which 53 have been sold to persons having licences for .22 bore rifles. And 58 remain in stock. Sales of these have been suspended for now.
According to the Bangladesh Arms Dealers and Importers Association, these are not pistols, but rifles. On the other hand, after consulting experts, police contend that these are pistols. The army uses these weapons too. A report submitted to the home ministry by the police said that it could be a serious security threat if militants got possession of such weapons.
DB officers said that they had verified with army experts that these were Uzi pistols. Licences of .22 bore rifles could not be used to purchase semi-automatic Uzi pistols. Uzi pistols and Uzi rifles were two different weapons. They were different in weight, length, parts and other aspects.
If such weapons were in possession of the general public, this could be a threat to law and order. Drug dealers are publicly wielding such arms. And it could be a serious security threat if militants gained possession of such arms
These Uzi pistols had been imported in the name of .22 rifles, according to the police. From 2015 till date, 111 such guns had been imported. These were imported by six companies in Bangladesh. These were, MH Arms Company, Moin Arms Company, Ahmad Hossain Arms Company, Messrs Tozammel Hossain Company, K Ahmed Arms and Company and Shafiqul Islam Arms and Company. So far 53 of these have been sold.
There are 84 authorised arms dealing licensed companies in the country. Of them 32 are in Dhaka. The others are in various district and divisional towns. And 14 companies import firearms directly from abroad, of which 12 are in Dhaka.
Investigating officer Golam Mustafa Russel, deputy commissioner of Tejgaon division DB, told Prothom Alo that letters had been issued to the 53 persons who had purchased the Uzi pistols, asking details of their social and professional standing. Almost all of them have replied, 13 being residents of Dhaka and the rest in other places of the country.
Police officials said that the imported Uzi pistols had two magazines, each containing 20 bullets. Even police do not use guns which carry so many bullets
The police officer said that since a drug leader was arrested in possession of such a weapon, directives were issued to the officers-in-charge (OCs) of the concerned police stations to inquire about the owners of the remaining weapons. DB will meet with the owners of the Uzi pistols after the OCs submit their reports.
Secretary general of Bangladesh Arms Dealers and Importers Association, Nasir Ahmed, told Prothom Alo that these weapons were imported legally after obtaining government approval. After a police report is submitted, the gun licence is issued by the deputy commissioner and the home ministry. Arms dealers sell the weapons to persons with gun licences. It is not the gun dealers’ responsibility to verify if the buyer is a drug dealer or not.
Police officials said that the imported Uzi pistols had two magazines, each containing 20 bullets. Even police do not use guns that carry so many bullets.
Sources at the police headquarters said on 22 November a high powered meeting on Uzi pistols was held at the home ministry. Secretary general of the arms dealers association Nasir Ahmed was also present at the meeting.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Nasir Ahmed said after that meeting, buying and selling Uzi weapons had been put on hold. He claimed that the German-made Uzi rifles were being called pistols over here. He did not agree to the experts’ views.
DB joint commissioner Md Mahub Alam told Prothom Alo that DMP had submitted a report about Uzi pistols to the home ministry through the police headquarters. They had recommended a halt to importing Uzi pistols. If government directives were received, they would stop the sale of the weapon and seize those at the gun outlets.
* This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir