BARISAL, Oct 20: The Rapid Action Battalion-8 (RAB) here on Tuesday observed its 10th founding anniversary through colourful programmes and great enthusiasm.
RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed was present as Chief Guest while ADG of RAB Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan, DIG of Barisal, Barisal Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Divisional Commissioner and Barisal DC were present, among others, on the occasion.
To mark the day, RAB-8 in a statement said acting on tip-offs, the RAB members conducted separate drives in different parts of the district and detained 58 listed criminals with huge firearms and ammunitions last year.
Besides, 14 listed criminals and pirates were also killed in separate RAB encounters during the drives, the RAB-8 sources disclosed.
They also seized eight foreign-made pistols, two locally-made pistols, four foreign revolvers, two locally-made revolvers, 10 light guns, 17 pipe guns, 26 one-shooter guns, five shooter guns, 12 SBBL, nine cutta rifles, one point 22 rifles, one point 12 bor shot guns, 39 single barrel guns, one double barrel gun, seven air guns, 727 rounds of bullet, 266 bombs and 89 lethal weapons during the drives.
The RAB sources, however, claimed that they arrested 499 drugs peddlers and recovered drugs worth about Tk 2.87 crore.
The seized drugs items included 339 grams of heroin, 11,000 bottles of contraband phensidyl syrup, 434kg hemp, 67,000 contraband yaba tablets, 214 bottles of foreign wine and 500 litres of local wine.
RAB-8 conducted a total 15 operations in Sundarban area under the region in 2014. During operations, a total 14 criminals including chief of Daroga Bahini Emadul Haolader, co-chief of Daroga Bahini Shogir Haoladar, co-chief of Raju-Farhad Md Kamrul Sheikh, chief of Jamal Bahini Nuruzzaman were killed.
RAB also rescued 14 fishermen from the custody of pirates' groups.