Teknaf (Cox’s Bazar) Correspondent – Instead of salt, a stash of ammunition was discovered in a salt field adjacent to the Hnila Jadimura Rohingya refugee camp in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
During a drive, the Bangladesh Coast Guard recovered 10 powerful grenades, 28 bullets, and two kilograms of hemp. The operation was conducted on Saturday night around 10 PM, though no arrests have been made so far.
Lieutenant Commander Md. Muttaqin Siddiqui, the Teknaf Station Commander of the Coast Guard, disclosed the details of the arms recovery during a press briefing held at 2 PM on Sunday (June 14).
According to Muttaqin Siddiqui, a special team of the Coast Guard launched the raid on Saturday night after receiving intelligence that armed groups from Myanmar had brought in a large quantity of grenades and ammunition and buried them underground near the Naf River.
At around 10 PM, the team dug up a portion of the salt field on the eastern side of the Jadimura Rohingya camp, revealing the buried explosives and ammunition.
The station commander noted that the recovered grenades are of the type typically used by the Myanmar military. Along with the weaponry, two kilograms of cannabis were also seized.
However, the weapon and drug smugglers managed to flee the scene after sensing the presence of the law enforcement team.
Intelligence surveillance has been heightened to identify and apprehend the members of the armed group involved in this smuggling operation.
Coast Guard sources stated that the open salt field is a regularly frequented route for locals. There was a severe threat to public life and property if these explosives had fallen into the wrong hands or accidentally gone off.