Bangladesh police arrest 663 people in 24 hours under Op Devil Hunt-2

Bangladesh police arrested 663 people and seized firearms nationwide under Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2, aimed at restoring law and order ahead of elections. The intensified crackdown has drawn political criticism amid rising violence and allegations of targeting opposition members

Dhaka: At least 663 people were arrested by Bangladesh police across the country in 24 hours as part of ‘Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2’, a nationwide crackdown launched to restore law and order and recover illegal firearms, local media reported, citing a senior police official.

Confirming the development, Assistant Inspector-General (Media & Public Relations) of Bangladesh Police Headquarters, AHM Shahadat Hossain, said that 663 people were taken into custody and nine firearms were recovered during the last 24 hours of the operation.

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As part of routine nationwide police operations, 26,881 motorcycles and 26,573 vehicles were searched, resulting in the seizure of 342 illegal motorcycles during the drive, Bangladeshi leading daily Dhaka Tribune reported.

Last week, under ‘Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2’, police reportedly arrested at least 4,232 people across the country.

Bangladesh’s interim government on December 13 decided to roll out the second phase of ‘Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2’ across the country, citing the need to prevent subversive activities using illegal arms ahead of the February 2026 elections, the local media reported.

Addressing journalists in Dhaka, the interim government’s Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced the decision following a core committee meeting on the law and order situation. The meeting was held a day after the gun attack on Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the radical platform, Inqilab Mancha.

‘Operation Devil Hunt’ was first launched throughout the country earlier this year following an incident on February 7 when 15-16 students were attacked at the home of former Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque.

Citing human rights organisation Mandhaka Sanskriti Foundation (MSF), the country’s leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo, reported that 11,313 people were arrested in Operation Devil Hunt across Bangladesh from February 8 to February 28.

The report noted that most of the arrested people were members of the previous Awami League government, highlighting the intensifying crackdown on the party. Bangladesh has witnessed an alarming rise in violence and growing political vendetta under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.

Last month, Awami League accused the Yunus government of conspiring to push the people of the country towards an uncertain future, warning that a new form of “mob terrorism” has emerged as an organised “terror tactic”.

Slamming the Yunus regime, the party stated that since the “illegal usurpers” seized power, incidents of murder, rape, theft, robbery, looting, and mugging have sharply increased across the country.