What appears to be an ordinary steel pen in your pocket could be a silent killer waiting to strike. A push-button on top. A menacing pointed tip. But twist the barrel and press the button, and instead of ink, a deadly .22 calibre bullet screams out – turning an everyday writing instrument into an assassin's dream weapon.
Welcome to Dhaka's terrifying new reality
Law enforcement agencies are sounding the alarm after this sinister, disguised firearm was used in a chilling daylight assassination attempt on a Juba Dal leader in Old Dhaka's Nayabazar on April 3. The shocking discovery has sent shockwaves through security circles, raising fears that criminals and extremist groups now have access to undetectable weapons that can bypass even the strictest security checks.
The weapon that writes death warrants
"It looks like a pen. It feels like a pen. But it kills like a gun," said one senior detective who examined the seized weapon. "This changes everything."
The pen gun, recovered from the arrested suspect Sohel alias Kallu, was cleverly concealed inside a cigarette packet, making it virtually undetectable. The weapon bears no manufacturer markings, no serial numbers, no traceable identity. It's a ghost weapon, investigators say, likely smuggled from India or Pakistan through underground networks.
Price tag for death: Tk 80,000
That's what one arrested suspect claimed he paid for the weapon, with plans to resell it at a hefty profit. But the real cost was measured in blood when the pen gun was turned on Juba Dal leader Russell in the heart of Old Dhaka.
The trap at Nayabazar
April 3. A seemingly innocent phone call. Russell was lured to a house in Nayabazar by acquaintances he trusted. What awaited him wasn't a friendly meeting, it was an execution attempt.
The pen gun spoke once. A single .22 calibre bullet tore through the air, finding its target in a brazen daylight attack. The same people who called him there then rushed him first to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, then to a private facility in Dhanmondi.
But why? Investigators believe the shooting erupted from a drug-fuelled dispute, a deadly quarrel settled with a weapon so small it could hide in plain sight.
"We've never seen anything like this in Dhaka"
Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) Joint Commissioner (South) Md Nasirul Islam's voice carried grave concern as he addressed reporters.
"This is not an ordinary firearm. There is no prior record of such weapons being used in Dhaka," he revealed. "Multiple teams are working around the clock to determine how it entered the country, who smuggled it, who manufactured it, and whether it has been used elsewhere."
The investigation has already netted two suspects: Simon, arrested in Jatrabari, and Sohel alias Kallu, nabbed in Keraniganj with the deadly pen gun in his possession.
But the real question haunts investigators: How many more are out there?
A weapon perfect for terror
The pen gun's design is diabolically simple yet devastatingly effective. Disguised as an everyday object, it passes through security undetected, while its ability to fire .22 or .25 calibre bullets delivers enough force to kill at close range. However, it operates on a single-shot mechanism, which is often all an assassin needs. Compounding the danger, no metal detector can reliably spot it, and its compact form allows it to fit effortlessly into any pocket, bag, or cigarette packet. While older versions used pinfire systems, modern iterations like the one seized in Dhaka employ rimfire or centre-fire cartridges, utilising the same technology found in conventional firearms but miniaturised into a writing instrument.
Extremists may already have them
In a disclosure that has sent chills through security establishments, DB officials confirmed receiving intelligence reports that extremist groups in southwestern Bangladesh, particularly in Khulna, may already be using pen guns.
A businessman in Khulna was killed with a similar weapon last April, according to television reports – a warning that went unheeded until now.
"These weapons are perfect for targeted killings, assassinations, and terror operations," explained one security analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity. "You could walk into a crowded event, a political rally, a religious gathering, and no one would suspect a thing until it's too late."
The hunt for the smugglers begins
Detective Branch teams are now racing against time to trace the smuggling route that brought the weapon into Bangladesh, identify the international network supplying these disguised firearms, determine how many pen guns have already entered the country, and prevent their use in future attacks.
The weapon's lack of markings makes tracing nearly impossible, a deliberate design choice by manufacturers who cater to criminals and terrorists.