Dhaka terror attack rifles made in Bengal

KOLKATA: Assault rifles used in the Gulshan cafe attack in Dhaka on July 1 were made in West Bengal with the help of Pakistani experts, a terrorist arrested by Kolkata STF in September in connection with the Khagragarh blast has told NIA sleuths. The deadly terror attack had left 20 foreigners dead, including Indian teen Tarishi Jain; five terrorists were also killed.

According to the arrested terrorist, Pakistani tribal gunsmiths clandestinely visited Malda to train gunsmiths from Munger, who set up base in the border district to make AK-22 assault rifles. These weapons were then smuggled into Bangladesh via Chapainawabgunj.

The NIA investigators suspect the Pakistanis who conducted the training were from the Darra Adam Khel community that resides in a village located between Peshawar and Kohat. The community is believed to regularly help the Taliban in duplicating modern weapons.


"We aren't sure yet but the language they mentioned is spoken in and around the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan where the village is located," a senior NIA officer said. Bangladesh has already alleged that the weapons used in the Holey Artisan bakery attack were sourced from across the border.

The country's counterterrorism and trans-national crime chief, Monirul Islam, had categorically mentioned Munger in this connection. Thereafter, Bihar police had launched an investigation into the matter.

"The Bihar police in a communique to Bengal police has confirmed that the arms manufacturers and smugglers had set up units in Malda and other places in Bengal," an STF officer said.

The NIA believes the consignment of AK-22 rifles and pistols reached the terrorists in Dhaka a month before the Gulshan terror strike. But what has intrigued the NIA officers is the duplication of AK-22 rifles instead of the AK-47, which is more popular among both terrorists and security agencies. A semi-automatic rifle originally manufactured in Romania, AK-22 is uncommon in India, and hence, difficult to duplicate.

"The uncomplicated AK-22 is a low-range weapon, easy to use by even greenhorns and has a short range. It was the perfect weapon for the youngsters who carried out the terror attack in the Dhaka bakery," an NIA officer said.

If expert gunsmiths did come from Darra Adam Khel to train men in Malda, investigation agencies have reasons to worry. For, these Pakistani tribals can copy nearly any weapon, from pen pistols and hand-grenades to automatic rifles and anti-aircraft guns. Darra gunsmiths are said to have the ability to duplicate any new rifle within 10 days.