In a sweeping nationwide crackdown, law enforcement agencies have arrested 1,650 individuals over the past 24 hours.
Among them, 461 were detained under the ongoing "Operation Devil Hunt".
The information was confirmed on Friday afternoon (21 February) by Inamul Haque Sagar, assistant inspector general (Media and PR) at the Police Headquarters.
Providing details of the operation, Inamul Haque Sagar stated that of the total arrests, 461 were made under "Operation Devil Hunt", while the remaining 1,189 were detained in connection with various criminal cases and outstanding warrants.
Security forces also recovered a cache of weapons, including a foreign-made pistol, six rounds of ammunition, two locally manufactured double-barrel shotguns (LG), a locally produced shooter gun, and a samurai sword.
"Operation Devil Hunt" was launched nationwide on 8 February following the violent attack on students and protesters in Gazipur on 7 February.
The assault was carried out by armed supporters of the ousted authoritarian leader Sheikh Hasina and her party, the Awami League, as they sought to suppress public dissent. The attack left several injured and further deteriorated the law and order situation.
In response, high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, law enforcement agencies, and security bodies convened an emergency meeting to strengthen national security measures.
Subsequently, the authorities initiated the special crackdown, marking the commencement of "Operation Devil Hunt" on 8 February.
