BIMAN PLANE ‘HIJACK’ BID
‘It was a useless plastic toy gun’
CID says in ballistic report
The ‘gun’ seized from Polash Ahmed, who allegedly tried to hijack the Boeing 737-800 plane of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on February 24 at Chattogram airport, was a useless plastic toy gun, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today said in its ballistic report.
CID today handed over the ballistic report to Counter Terrorism (CT) unit of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) which is investigating the plane hijacking attempt case, reports our correspondent quoting Inspector Rajesh Barua of CT unit of CMP.
“We have received the ballistic report from ballistic experts of CID on Tuesday where the report stated that it is useless toy pistol,” Inspector Rajesh Barua told The Daily Star
Earlier, Rajesh Barua, also the investigation officer (IO) of the plane hijacking attempt case, sent the toy gun and other items to CID for ballistic and forensic examination following a Chattogram court order.
After the plane hijacking incident, CMP Commissioner Mahbubor Rahman told the media that the ‘gun’ recovered from the alleged hijacker was a ‘toy gun’ but they would further examine all the items seized from the spot.
According to the CID and CT sources, the ballistic report stated that the gun is a toy gun. It (the gun) was found with the words “GUN SERIES, Osaka, AMAN INDUSTRIES, MADE IN BANGLADESH” inscribed on it, and currently it (the gun) is useless, the report said.
The report also stated that it is not a firearm as it is not possible to install any cartridge or fire bullet from the toy pistol. Such kind of toy pistols are used to eject small spherical rubber balls and there is a little sound when the pistol releases the rubber ball.
Considering the aspects, the CID ballistic expert opined at the end of the report that “It is a useless toy pistol.”
The report was signed by Sub-Inspector (SI) Shakerul Alam, a ballistic expert of Chattogram CID.
Polash apparently tried to hijack the flight on February 24 forcing an emergency landing at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram.
All 148 passengers were evacuated safely and the cabin crew members were also safe. Afterwards, Polash was killed in an eight-minute operation by members of the army’s para-commando unit.
Investigators later said it was a toy gun and the explosives were just small pieces of plastic pipes wrapped in red tape.
Debabrata Sarker, technology assistant at Chattogram airport, filed a case on February 25 night with Patenga Police Station, in which he said the suspect was seen carrying suspicious-looking objects during the hijack bid 15 minutes after the plane took off from Dhaka.
