Pistol ‘looted’ from police station during July Uprising found on mosque shelf in Araihazar

Firearm Recovered From Mosque Shelf in Araihazar

Bdbusinessdaily.com – A 9mm pistol believed to be among the firearms taken from Araihazar Police Station during the July Uprising of 2024 has been recovered from a mosque in Narayanganj’s Araihazar Upazila.

The weapon was found on Friday, 12 September, inside Araihazar Bazar Mosque. Police recovered the pistol along with two magazines and 20 rounds of ammunition after it was discovered on the mosque’s second floor.

Discovery Inside the Mosque

The items were located at about 1pm on a shelf positioned on the southern side of the building’s second floor. Nasir Uddin, the mosque’s muezzin, noticed the firearm and ammunition while inside the mosque.

After spotting the weapons, he took them to Araihazar Police Station and handed them to Officer-in-Charge Md Sabzel Hossain. The recovery has prompted an investigation into how a police-issued weapon and ammunition came to be left inside a place of worship.

The location of the discovery has added to the significance of the case. A mosque is a public religious space used by local residents, and the presence of a loaded firearm or ammunition in such a setting creates an obvious safety concern. The recovery removed the items from public access and placed them back in police custody for examination.

Link to Weapons Taken During the 2024 Unrest

Police sources initially identified the recovered item as a 9mm pistol used by the police. The firearm is believed to have been among the weapons looted from Araihazar Police Station during the July Uprising in 2024.

The case is part of the continuing effort to trace weapons that went missing during that period. Recovering a firearm is only one part of the process; investigators must also establish where it had been kept, how it was transported, whether it had changed hands, and who placed it at the mosque.

Police will need to examine the pistol, magazines and ammunition as part of the inquiry. Such examination can help verify the weapon’s identity and determine whether it matches records connected to the police station. The investigation may also focus on the timing of its placement inside the mosque and whether anyone saw suspicious activity there.

Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Habibur Rahman confirmed that the pistol, magazines and ammunition had been recovered.

“Police are investigating how the pistol and ammunition reached the mosque and who was behind it.”

Investigation Focuses on Route and Responsibility

The recovery raises several questions for investigators. The first is how the firearm moved from Araihazar Police Station after it was allegedly looted during the 2024 unrest. Another is why it was left on a shelf inside the mosque rather than hidden elsewhere.

Police are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the discovery carefully. Establishing a clear chain of events will be important in determining whether the weapon had remained in the area, whether it was moved recently, and whether more people were involved.

The two magazines and 20 rounds of ammunition recovered with the pistol are also relevant to the inquiry. Their presence alongside the firearm suggests that the items were kept together when they were abandoned. Investigators may seek to determine whether all of the recovered materials came from the same source and whether they are connected to the weapons missing from the police station.

For residents of Araihazar, the incident underscores the importance of alerting authorities when unfamiliar or potentially dangerous objects are found in public places. Nasir Uddin’s decision to bring the weapons to the police station allowed authorities to secure them and begin formal investigative work.

Community Safety and Ongoing Recovery Efforts

The discovery comes more than a year after the July Uprising of 2024, during which the pistol was believed to have been taken from Araihazar Police Station. The fact that the firearm was recovered in Araihazar shows that questions surrounding weapons lost during that period can remain active long after the original events.

Weapons that are outside official custody pose risks when their location and ownership are unknown. Recovering them is important not only for police records but also for public safety. In this case, the firearm and ammunition have been secured after being found in a location frequented by members of the community.

Authorities have not publicly identified anyone in connection with leaving the weapons inside Araihazar Bazar Mosque. No further details have been released about how long the pistol, magazines and ammunition may have been on the shelf before they were found.

The investigation is continuing as police seek to identify the person or people responsible for moving and abandoning the recovered firearm. Further findings may clarify the weapon’s path from Araihazar Police Station to the mosque and whether the recovery leads to other missing arms or ammunition from the 2024 unrest.