Bangladesh Launches ‘Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2’, Arrests Over 1,000 in Two Days

Within just two days of the operation, authorities arrested 1,043 people and seized a large cache of weapons, including a foreign-made pistol, swords, knives, a locally manufactured long machete known as a ramda, and a rechargeable stun gun. Hundreds of additional individuals were detained under existing criminal cases and arrest warrants, law enforcement officials said.

The nationwide crackdown was intensified following the shooting of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a potential parliamentary candidate for a Dhaka constituency. The incident prompted the Home Ministry’s core committee on law and order to order immediate and coordinated action across the country against elements seeking to disrupt the electoral process.

Additional Inspector General of Police (Media and Public Relations) AHM Shahadat Hossain said the operation targets individuals who pose threats to public safety, stockpile illegal weapons, and attempt to destabilise the elections.

“Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2 is aimed at neutralising armed groups and ensuring public security during the election period,” he said, adding that the operation would continue nationwide until further notice.

Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, speaking at the law and order core committee meeting, said the operation focuses on recovering looted and illegal weapons while suppressing what he described as “fascist terrorist elements” to ensure a peaceful voting environment.

Joint forces have been mobilised in all districts as part of the ongoing campaign, with coordinated operations involving police, intelligence agencies, and other security units.

The current phase follows the first phase of Operation Devil Hunt, which was launched on February 8 earlier this year in response to a series of terrorist attacks targeting students and civilians in Gazipur. That operation successfully dismantled several extremist networks and helped restore stability in the affected areas.

Authorities say the renewed crackdown underscores the government’s firm stance against election-related violence and its commitment to bringing armed and extremist elements to justice ahead of the national polls.