Rab recovers arms, ammo in 3 dists

24 March 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Ctg

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday seized two firearms and five bullets from Nimtala area under Sitakunda upazila in the district. Acting on a tip-off that an armed gang gathered at Taipat Road near Dhaka-Chittagong highway to commit criminal offence, a squad of Rab-7 Chittagong raided the area at around 12:15am. Sensing presence of the elite force the criminals fled the scene immediately. Later, the Rab-men recovered a .22 pistol with a magazine, a light gun (LG) and five bullets of M-16 rifle searching the area. In Dinajpur, two susptected gunrunners were arrested along with four arms and bullets from Dhanhati crossing in Birampur upazila on Tuesday, reports UNB. Acting on a tip-off, a Rab team stopped them at the intersection at about 11:30am while they were coming to Birampur from frontier Dangapara area in a motorbike. The elite force searched their bodies and seized two pistols, two magazines and 12 bullets. A correspondent from Munshiganj adds: A gang of gunrunners fled away leaving nine firearms after a gun battle with the members of Rapid Action Battalion at a char under Louhajang on Sunday night. The firearms included seven foreign made revolvers and two pipe guns. Rab-3 officials said the gunfight took place as the criminals opened fire on the law enforcers at remote Maowarchar at around 10:30pm. An official of Rab-3 told this correspondent that the Rab personnel in guise of clients went to the spot following a deal to buy 10 firearms from the gang. But as soon they understood that the arms purchasers were Rab men, they opened fire at them and sped away by speedboats leaving their firearms on the spot, said the official.