Alarming rise in smuggling of gunpowder, contraband items thru' Rajshahi borders

Authorities suspect that these explosive materials and weapons are being brought in by political groups, rogue youth gangs, and other criminal networks.  

Experts in criminology attribute this surge to inadequate border security, though arrests remain minimal. Officially, no gunpowder imports are allowed in Bangladesh. However, in the past three years, law enforcement agencies have seized a total of 583 kilograms of gunpowder and 477 weapons from the Rajshahi border. In 2023 alone, 5 kilograms of gunpowder and 77 weapons were confiscated. In 2022, these figures stood at 12.3 kilograms and 309 weapons. Alarming data from the first 10 months of 2024 indicates the seizure of 566 kilograms of gunpowder and 91 weapons.  

According to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police, the primary buyers of these explosives are political groups and criminal organizations, including rogue youth gangs. They suspect that gunpowder was used in acts of arson during the Anti Discrimination Student Movement in July and August.  

Lieutenant Colonel Firoz Kabir, commanding officer of RAB-5 in Rajshahi, stated, "We have observed an increase in the smuggling of banned goods such as gunpowder and weapons through Rajshahi borders. In the last two months, we seized 4 kilograms of gunpowder from Kashiana and Dampura. These materials may have been used to ignite fires during the protests earlier this year."  

Criminologists believe that such smuggling is not possible without the complicity of local law enforcement officers. Professor Dr. Munshi Israil Hossain of Rajshahi University's Sociology Department commented, "Gunpowder is smuggled into the country to create unrest, often with the collusion of certain law enforcement personnel."  

While there is data on seizures and arrests, the actual volume of smuggled weapons and explosives entering Bangladesh through the Rajshahi border in recent years remains unknown.