UP chairman held with arms at Dhaka airport

Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) today detained a union parishad chairman with a pistol at the domestic terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport this afternoon.

Security officials detected a pistol with seven rounds of bullets while scanning the hand bag of Mohammad Masud Chowdhury, chairman of Phulsahara Union Parishad in Jashore’s Chougachha upazila, at the domestic terminal of the airport around 4:30pm, said a press release signed by Tanvir Ahmed, public Relations officer of Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry.

Masud, also general secretary of Jashore’s Chougachha upazila unit of Awami League, was detained as he did not inform the concerned officials about his licensed pistol, an AAPBn official, seeking anonymity, told The Daily Star.

Masud was scheduled to Jashore by a domestic flight of Novoair airline, he said.  

Later, the detainee was handed over to police, the press release reads.

The incident took place six days after a bag containing a revolver of film star Ilias Kanchon went undetected during luggage scanning at the domestic terminal of the airport on March 5.

Ilias Kanchon, also road safety campaigner, on March 5 said that he was flying from Dhaka to Chattogram and passed the heavy luggage scanner undetected. Kanchan had a licensed 9mm pistol with nine live rounds. He produced legal documents of possession and received back the firearm at Chattogram.

Later, on March 7, Civil Aviation Ministry said actor Ilias Kanchan lied about his firearm passing through the airport scanners undetected.