A state intelligence report has warned of efforts to destabilize Bangladesh ahead of the upcoming national elections, alleging that weapons and explosives are being smuggled into the country to disrupt the polls.
The report, submitted to the government this week, claims firearms, ammunition, and explosives are being brought in from India and Myanmar, posing a major threat to election security.
The warning follows an October 26 raid on the Rajshahi–Dhaka Banalata Express, where army personnel seized eight foreign pistols and nearly five kilograms of explosives from a compartment at Dhaka Airport Railway Station.
Officials said the operation was based on prior intelligence that weapons were being moved from Chapainawabganj.
According to the police headquarters, 5,763 firearms and over 650,000 rounds of ammunition were looted during the July 2024 uprising.
Of those, about 1,300 weapons and 257,000 rounds remain unaccounted for.
Security agencies now fear some of these missing weapons could be used to fuel pre-election violence.
Border intelligence reports indicate that arms are entering Bangladesh through seven routes along the 271-kilometre border with Myanmar, aided by members of the Arakan Army and Rohingya gangs.
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) confirmed seizing more than 100 weapons, 1,700 bullets, nine mortar shells, and 11 grenades between August and October last year.
BGB Cox’s Bazar Sector Commander Colonel Mohiuddin Ahmed said the force remains on “maximum alert” to intercept arms and explosives.
“We have tightened surveillance and intercepted more than 22 consignments of weapons in the last three months,” he said.
Security analyst Major General (retd) Naeem Ashfaq Chowdhury described the influx of arms as “a grave national security concern.”
He warned: “This is not just an attempt to sabotage elections; it is a coordinated effort to challenge the state’s internal security. Intelligence and border surveillance must now be at their tightest.”
At a coordination meeting on October 29, Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus also cautioned that “big forces” might attempt to sabotage the elections.
