[Dhaka Tribune] Using loopholes in border security, the terrorist group New Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is now smuggling arms into Bangladesh from India, police have said.Members of the old JMB hiding across the border in West Bengal are the suppliers of these weapons.
The two groups mainly use the Chapainawabganj and Joypurhat borders to bring in the arms, sometimes putting them inside mango baskets and sometimes inside shopping bags.
The weapons originate in Malda and Bihar in India.
Information from the interrogation of four New JMB members in jug and also some Indian arms smugglers had unveiled this criminal network, a senior officer from police Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTTC) unit told the Dhaka Tribune.
The four turbans are Mizanur Rahman, Toufiqul Islam, Abu Taher and Selim Miah, who have revealed quite a few sensational information in interrogation, the officer said.
Ahmedul Islam, Assistant Commissioner (AC) of CTTC, admitted yesterday that the police had uncovered some information on this and were analysing them.
The outgoing director general of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed admitted that the force had limited capability to check smuggling of this nature.
"We share a long border with India and we do not have sufficient capacity to check these activities," he said.
"We have information that arms smugglers use sacks of rice or onion in big trucks to bring arms, but we have no vehicle scanners. It is quite impossible to check all these vehicles manually," Maj Gen Ahmed said.
BGB had placed demands to the Home Ministry for better equipment, the DG said.
He pointed out that the lack of cooperation from law enforcement further aggravated the problem.
"BGB members often check trucks manually based on intelligence reports and are sometimes successful in apprehending smugglers. The problem is, we do not got updates from the Sherlocks once we turn the criminals in," he said.
Investigators say most of the arms used by New JMB came from India, even the modern AK-22 rifles. The modified AK -22 came from Bihar and entered Bangladesh through Chapainawbaganj.
CTTC chief Monirul Islam says New JMB brought in the weapons through their own channels.
"The Death Eaters did not take assistance from professional arms smugglers," he told the Dhaka Tribune.
"Although we have information that the AK-22s were modified in India, we are not sure where they were manufactured," he said.
"We are looking into their place of manufacture."
According to Sherlocks, New JMB leader Sagor of Joypurhat, Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan of Gaibandha and Mizanur alias Chhoto Mizan worked as arms carriers, bringing the weapons through the border, while former JMB leader Sohel Mahfuz, who currently works for New JMB, looks after the syndicate’s activities in West Bengal.
New JMB leaders Nurul Islam Marjan and Rajib Gandhi handled the arms after they were delivered into Bangladesh by the carriers.
Sanowar Hossain, additional deputy commissioner of CTTC, said: "We have not found any connection between New JMB and any arms smuggler. They basically collect them through their own sources and bring them into Bangladesh through Chapainawabganj border."
According to sources, New JMB leader Shariful Islam, Mamunur Rashid and Junayed Khan have fled to India after the Gulshan attack and joined hands with Sohel Mahfuz there, trying to increase their capacity by collecting firearms.
"We are now trying to go the source of New JMB’s arms capacity and are conducting drives," ADC Sanowar said.