Bangladesh Offers Rewards for Stolen Guns Ahead of Elections
Bangladesh Police are offering cash rewards to those who surrender stolen firearms in an effort to collect hundreds of weapons before upcoming elections.
Bangladesh has announced a series of cash rewards for individuals who voluntarily return various types of firearms that were stolen from police armories during the August 2024 uprising.
The unrest led to the theft of approximately 6,000 firearms, with more than 1,300 still reported missing according to AHM Shahadat Hossaine, a police spokesman.
Rewards range from $4,000 for a light machine gun down to $400 for a shotgun or pistol, with payments also available for ammunition.
This initiative comes amid ongoing political turmoil in the country following the exile of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
With elections scheduled for February 2026, political parties are preparing for what is expected to be a highly competitive race.
According to Dhaka-based rights group Odhikar, political violence has resulted in nearly 300 deaths since the uprising, with over 150 additional fatalities occurring in mob violence.
Additionally, investigators are still probing the cause of a fire that destroyed the cargo complex at Bangladesh's main international airport on October 18.
Bushra Islam, a senior official at Biman Bangladesh Airlines, noted that despite the fire's destruction, the lock from an armory vault was found intact, though it remains unclear how many weapons may have been lost or missing.
The unrest led to the theft of approximately 6,000 firearms, with more than 1,300 still reported missing according to AHM Shahadat Hossaine, a police spokesman.
Rewards range from $4,000 for a light machine gun down to $400 for a shotgun or pistol, with payments also available for ammunition.
This initiative comes amid ongoing political turmoil in the country following the exile of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
With elections scheduled for February 2026, political parties are preparing for what is expected to be a highly competitive race.
According to Dhaka-based rights group Odhikar, political violence has resulted in nearly 300 deaths since the uprising, with over 150 additional fatalities occurring in mob violence.
Additionally, investigators are still probing the cause of a fire that destroyed the cargo complex at Bangladesh's main international airport on October 18.
Bushra Islam, a senior official at Biman Bangladesh Airlines, noted that despite the fire's destruction, the lock from an armory vault was found intact, though it remains unclear how many weapons may have been lost or missing.
