Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 during the public uprising, several police stations across Bangladesh were attacked and set on fire by angry mobs, leading to widespread looting of weapons and ammunition. September 3 marked the deadline for returning the stolen arms, and from September 4, joint forces began operations to recover looted and illegal weapons.

 
According to the police headquarters, as of September 5, a total of 5,818 weapons were looted nationwide, including in Dhaka. Of these, 3,933 have been recovered, while 1,885, including rifles, SMGs, LMGs, and pistols, remain missing. Additionally, nearly 300,000 rounds of ammunition are still unrecovered.

The breakdown of unrecovered arms includes:

Chinese Rifles: 296 unrecovered (839 recovered)
Bangladeshi Rifles: 1 unrecovered (9 recovered)
SMGs: 60 unrecovered (191 recovered)
LMGs: 11 unrecovered (21 recovered)
Pistols: 825 unrecovered (731 recovered)
Regarding ammunition, out of 3,12,857 bullets, 2,94,405 rounds remain missing. Other notable items include tear gas shells, grenades, and sound grenades, many of which are still unrecovered.

The ongoing joint operation involves the Bangladesh Army, Police, BGB, Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defense Forces, Coast Guard, and RAB.