3 suspected arms suppliers to ARSA held in Cox’s Bazar

Members of rapid action battalion (RAB) detained three alleged arms suppliers to members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) from Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar on Thursday, UNB reports.

The detainees are Moktar Ahmed, 52, Abdur Rahim, 40 and Md Enamul Haque, 38. They are residents of Maheshkhali and Chakaria upazilas.

“Tipped off, a team of RAB conducted a drive in the Boro Bheula Lal Bridge area this morning and detained them,” said Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Sumon, commanding officer of RAB-15.

During the drive, the law enforcers also recovered three single-barreled and one double-barreled guns and Tk 105,700 from their possession.

Among them, Moktar is the prime arms supplier to ARSA, RAB officer Saiful added.

During the primary interrogation, the detainees confessed that they had been running illegal arms businesses in Maheshkhali and Chakaria upazilas area for a long time and supplying arms to various terrorist groups, including members of ARSA in Rohingya camps.

The process of handing them over to Chakaria police station was underway, he said.