Joint forces have launched a nationwide special operation titled ‘Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2’ to recover illegal arms, restore law and order and suppress what authorities described as fascist elements. The operation has been underway since Saturday evening, with 1,043 people arrested in the first two days.


The decision to launch the operation was taken at a core committee meeting on law and order at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday, following the shooting of Sharif Osman Hadi, a probable independent candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency in the upcoming parliamentary election. The meeting emphasized ensuring a peaceful election environment through intensified efforts to recover illegal weapons and maintain public order.


Acting on the decision, various police units along with the Bangladesh Army began the special drive Saturday night across the country.


On Monday, Assistant Inspector General (Media and PR) at Police Headquarters AHM Shahadat Hossain said that from Saturday night to Sunday, a total of 1,043 individuals were arrested. During the operation, law enforcers recovered six weapons, including a foreign-made pistol, a machete, a sword, a knife and a rechargeable stun gun. In addition, 907 people were arrested in connection with existing cases and outstanding warrants.


At the core committee meeting held at the Secretariat on Saturday, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said operations by law enforcement agencies to recover looted and illegal arms are ongoing. To further intensify and accelerate these efforts, and to suppress fascist terrorists, the committee decided to immediately launch Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2.


Earlier, on February 8 this year, joint forces had launched the original Operation Devil Hunt across the country. The operation followed a violent attack on students and members of the public in Gazipur and was initiated after a coordination meeting of law enforcement agencies at the Ministry of Home Affairs to restore normalcy and bring those responsible for violence under the law