On Aug. 27, leading Bangladeshi news outlets published reports under headlines including: “Indian National Detained With Weapon After Exchange of Gunfire With BGB at Border” and “Indian National Detained After ‘Gunfight’ at Moulvibazar Border: BGB.”

According to the reports, Border Guard Bangladesh, or BGB, detained an Indian citizen that day near the Kumarshail border in Barlekha Upazila of Moulvibazar. The detainee was identified as Bolai Namasudra. An exchange of gunfire reportedly took place before his arrest.

The BGB said its personnel recovered a pistol, two rounds of ammunition and 500 yaba tablets from him. A case was later filed against Bolai at Barlekha Police Station under the Narcotics Control Act.

But The Dissent found significant discrepancies among the BGB’s account, the First Information Report, or F.I.R., and statements from the police regarding both the incident and the items recovered.

BGB Claims ‘Foreign-Made Pistol’ Recovered After Gunfight

At 8:37 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, a post about the incident appeared on the verified Facebook page of Border Guard Bangladesh.

The post said: “An exchange of gunfire took place between BGB personnel and Indian smugglers near the Kumarshail border in Barlekha Upazila of Moulvibazar. During a special operation, the BGB detained one Indian smuggler and recovered one foreign-made pistol, two rounds of .22-caliber ammunition and 500 yaba tablets.”

It added: “Acting on information received, a special patrol team from the Beanibazar Battalion took up a tactical position in the Kumarshail area at around 10 p.m. and launched a special operation. When members of the smuggling ring arrived in the area, BGB personnel challenged them. After realizing that BGB personnel were present, the smugglers opened fire on them. BGB personnel returned fire in self-defense, prompting the smugglers to try to flee the scene. BGB personnel gave chase and eventually detained one Indian smuggler. They recovered one foreign-made pistol, two rounds of .22-caliber ammunition and 500 yaba tablets from him.”

Most mainstream Bangladeshi news outlets based their reports on the BGB’s account.

F.I.R. Lists a RHINO ΤΟΥ Air Pistol and Makes No Mention of Gunfire

The Dissent obtained a copy of the F.I.R. filed at Barlekha Police Station. The document contains information that differs from the BGB’s statement.

The BGB post said: “During a special operation, the BGB detained one Indian smuggler and recovered one foreign-made pistol, two rounds of .22-caliber ammunition and 500 yaba tablets.”

The F.I.R., however, said: “In the presence of the witnesses, his body was searched, and one pistol-like air gun bearing the English inscription ‘RHINO ΤΟΥ Air Pistol,’ along with two rounds of lead pellets, was recovered from where it had been tucked into the back of the waist of his lungi. The estimated value of the weapons was 10,000 taka. The items were seized under a seizure list at 22:30 hours on 27/08/2026. From the left pocket of his undershirt, 500 (five hundred) pink yaba tablets wrapped in airtight polythene were recovered. Their total weight was (500 × .1) = 50 grams, and their estimated value was (500 × 300) = 150,000 taka (one hundred fifty thousand taka). Using sufficient torchlight, the items were seized under a seizure list at 22:35 hours on the same date.”

The BGB described the recovered item as a “foreign-made pistol” and the projectiles as “two rounds of .22-caliber ammunition.” The F.I.R., by contrast, identified the item as a RHINO ΤΟΥ Air Pistol — a toy or air pistol, not a lethal firearm — and described the projectiles as “two rounds of lead pellets.”

The BGB also claimed that an exchange of gunfire took place with the detainee and his associates before the arrest. The F.I.R. contains no mention of a gunfight.

The BGB’s post said: “Acting on information received, a special patrol team from the Beanibazar Battalion took up a tactical position in the Kumarshail area at around 10 p.m. and launched a special operation. When members of the smuggling ring arrived in the area, BGB personnel challenged them. After realizing that BGB personnel were present, the smugglers opened fire on them. BGB personnel returned fire in self-defense, prompting the smugglers to try to flee the scene. BGB personnel gave chase and eventually detained one Indian smuggler.”

The F.I.R. offered a different account: “At approximately 21:00 hours on 27/08/2026, I learned from a confidential source that two miscreants had crossed the Indian border and were entering Bangladesh on foot through difficult, forested terrain. I immediately informed the higher authorities and, to verify the information and take legal action, set up an ambush approximately 300 meters inside Bangladesh from Main Pillar 1366/5-S in the Kumarshail border area under Barlekha Police Station. At approximately 22:20 hours on the same date, two individuals crossed the border on foot through difficult, forested terrain and arrived at the scene inside Bangladesh. When a member of my operational team switched on a torchlight, they realized that we were present and tried to flee. We detained one person, while the other escaped on foot. During questioning, the detained person disclosed the name and address stated above.”

The case was filed under two laws: the Narcotics Control Act and the law governing illegal entry. No provision of the Arms Act was cited.

What the BGB and Police Say

The Dissent contacted the complainant in the case, Havildar Mong Thowai Ching Marma of BGB Battalion 52.

Asked why no arms case had been filed if a weapon had been recovered, he said: “I was told that an arms case does not apply to this. There will only be a narcotics case. A general diary entry will be made for the weapon.”

Asked whether he had filed the general diary, or G.D., he said that he had. When asked for a copy, he said: “The G.D. copy has been sent to my battalion. I will give you the details a little later.”

But both the officer in charge of Barlekha Police Station and the commanding officer of BGB Battalion 52 said that no separate G.D. had been filed.

Asked about the discrepancies between the F.I.R. and the BGB’s account, Moniruzzaman Khan, the officer in charge of Barlekha Police Station, said the information in the F.I.R. was accurate.

Regarding the pistol, he said: “It is a toy — an air pistol. It is not a weapon. It is not the kind of firearm that uses ammunition. It is used as a toy — to burst balloons, for example — and is sometimes used to shoot birds. It is that kind of air gun.”

Referring to the two projectiles recovered, he said: “The recovered ammunition was not .22 caliber.”

Asked why the BGB had described it as .22-caliber ammunition, he said: “The BGB will have to explain its statement. What I received corresponds with their F.I.R. and with the evidence we obtained. They described them as lead pellets and then described the item as a toy air pistol. I received it exactly as it was presented.”

Regarding the reported exchange of fire during the operation, he said: “They said there had been gunfire, but they did not mention it in the F.I.R. When I later asked what had happened, the assistant commander called me and said they had heard the sound of one gunshot at the border and then fired two blank rounds. That is what he said.”

Lt. Col. Ataur Rahman, the commanding officer of BGB Battalion 52 in Beanibazar, gave an account that differed from the F.I.R.

Asked why the BGB’s statement conflicted with the F.I.R., he said: “The F.I.R. is simply a complaint that has been filed. The investigation has not yet been completed. What we have said, based on our source information, will be sent for forensic examination. It is a pistol. What is written on the pistol does not matter. The investigation will determine whether it is lethal. The ammunition we recovered with it is lethal ammunition. From what we could see, the pistol had been modified. But it is certainly a foreign-made pistol because it is not one of the local guns or locally made weapons found in our country.”

Asked why the F.I.R. described the recovered projectiles as lead pellets while the BGB called them .22-caliber ammunition, Lt. Col. Rahman said the F.I.R. mentioned such ammunition.

When the relevant description from the F.I.R. was read aloud to him, he said: “It should say .22 caliber. I have already sent my staff member to the officer in charge, and he is also speaking to the officer in charge because the police filed the F.I.R. that night. We are working on this as well.”

Asked again why the F.I.R. contained no mention of a confrontation or exchange of gunfire at the scene, he said: “It must be included. There is no question of it not being there.”

Asked why no arms case had been filed at the time if the BGB initially believed it had recovered a firearm, Lt. Col. Rahman said: “It may be added after the investigation.”

What Is a RHINO ΤΟΥ Air Pistol?

A Rhino Toy Air Pistol is primarily used for recreation and target practice. It is not a real firearm and therefore does not require a legal license to purchase or use.

The pistol has been advertised for sale on online marketplaces in both Bangladesh and India.