Nearly two years after four students were shot dead during the July uprising in Lakshmipur, the licensed weapon allegedly used in the killings remains missing, even as police have submitted a charge sheet in the murder case and a separate case over the unrecovered firearm.
The prime suspect, former Lakshmipur Sadar upazila chairman and influential Awami League leader AKM Salah Uddin Tipu, also remains at large.
The unresolved fate of the weapon has raised questions about whether the political influence once wielded by the Taher-Tipu family continues to hamper the investigation.
According to investigators, Tipu opened fire from the rooftop of his residence for nearly four hours on August 4, 2024, targeting student protesters and residents during the anti-government movement. Four students were killed.
Videos of the shooting from the roof of Pinky Plaza near Tamiz Market, spread rapidly on social media and became one of the defining images of the uprising.
Witnesses said Tipu had earlier joined a pro-government procession near Madam Bridge wearing a bulletproof vest and concealing his face with a cloth before taking position on the rooftop and opening fire.
Public outrage erupted almost immediately. Protesters attacked, looted and set fire to two of Tipu's houses on August 4 and 5. They returned on February 6, using an excavator to demolish the front portion of the three-storey Pinky Plaza building.
Tipu fled the area on the night of August 5 and has not been seen publicly since.
The government revoked all firearm licences issued after 2009 and ordered licence holders to surrender their weapons by September 3, 2024. District administration records show that 33 licensed firearms were deposited. Tipu's weapon was not.
On April 17, Sub-Inspector Monir Hossain of Lakshmipur Sadar Model Police Station filed a case against Tipu for failing to surrender the weapon. Officer-in-Charge Wahid Parvez told Daily Waadaa that police had repeatedly ordered him to hand over the firearm but received no response.
"The charge sheet has been submitted to the court," Parvez said. "We are still trying to determine where the pistol is and continue to investigate every possible lead."
One of Tipu's close associates, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed Tipu escaped through the rear of his house as protesters advanced and later fled Lakshmipur.
The source alleged that Tipu left the weapon behind in the nearby Shakharipara neighbourhood, saying it would have been impossible to leave the district or cross into India while carrying the weapon.
Investigators believe Shakharipara—with its dense settlement, aging homes and abandoned gardens—could be a likely hiding place for the firearm. No search operation has yet been carried out there.
Former Lakshmipur BNP president and lawmaker Abul Khayer Bhuiyan questioned why neither Tipu nor the missing weapon had been found.
"The killer Tipu must be arrested immediately," he told Daily Waadaa. "A large cache of illegal weapons linked to his group has still not been recovered. Where are those weapons? The administration must answer."
Repeated attempts by Daily Waadaa to contact Tipu for comment were unsuccessful.
Police say they have arrested 240 Awami League leaders and activists in connection with the violence surrounding the August 4 crackdown. Families of those killed and injured filed four separate cases over the attacks. Police have already submitted the charge sheet in the murder case.
Tipu, the son of late Lakshmipur mayor Abu Taher, served three terms as chairman of Lakshmipur Sadar Upazila and held a senior position in the district Awami League.
Despite facing multiple criminal cases, including murder charges, he has remained beyond the reach of law enforcement.
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