Nine held with arms, drugs in Cumilla joint raid

A huge amount of arms, bullets, drugs and illegal materials were also recovered during the raids.

The forces include Bangladesh Army and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and the operation began at 3:50 am in Durgapur area under Cumilla Sadar Dakshin police station, where local ‘arms supplier’ Md Rubel was detained.

Rubel had recently come into limelight for publicly displaying firearms in Cumilla and was reportedly supplying weapons to teenage gangs.

In a separate raid at Palashi Goli of Cumilla city, three others -- Md Akib Hossain, 29, Md Sajjad Hossain, 47, and Md Shahadat Hossain, 28, -- were detained.

The joint forces recovered a 9mm pistol, four rounds of ammunition, one revolver with eight rounds, contraband Yaba pills, foreign liquor, gold chains, laptops and various other illegal items hidden under a table.

Based on the information obtained from the detainees, the joint forces also later held four more teenage gang members—Md Saiful Islam, 19, Md Imran Hossain Ratan, 19, Md Mojahid, 21, and Md Rafiul Alam Shafi, 20, -- from different areas.

Four mobile phones were also seized from them.

During the operation, another suspect, Humayun Kabir, 45, believed to be associated with the gang, was also detained.

A process was underway to hand over them to the respective police stations for legal action, reports UNB.