Thousands of mutinous Bangladeshi border guards surrendered last night in the capital after two days of fighting that claimed at least 18 lives, but the rebellion appeared to be spreading to other parts of the country.

Dozens of officers were unaccounted for after the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) occupying their headquarters in Dhaka lay down their arms. The head of the BDR, Major-General Shakil Ahmed, was among the dead.

Thousands more members of the BDR continued their rebellion in other parts of the country to demand better pay and working conditions. Police said that the mutiny had spread to 15 of the 64 districts where the 42,000-strong force is posted.

The mutiny does not appear to be part of a military coup attempt — a real threat in a country that has witnessed several successful and failed putsches since winning independence from Pakistan in 1971. It does, however, represent the most serious challenge yet for a Government that took charge after an election in December ended two years of army-backed emergency rule.

Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister, delivered a televised address to the nation yesterday in an attempt to prevent the rebellion from spreading to the army and the Civil Service. “Lay down your guns immediately and go back to barracks,” she said. “Do not force me to take tough actions or push my patience beyond tolerable limits.”

Soon afterwards, six tanks and ten armoured personnel carriers rolled through the deserted streets of Dhaka and surrounded the BDR headquarters. The Government also cut off mobile phone services.

The gunfire around the camp subsided during the afternoon and, after waving a white flag, the mutineers finally laid down their weapons and released their hostages by early evening.

“The situation is now under complete control of the Government and those who broke discipline to create violence outside the capital have been asked to surrender as well,” Abul Kalam Azad, the Prime Minister’s spokesman, said.

One minister said earlier that 50 officers had been killed but Mr Azad said that 30 officers were among the released hostages.

The mutiny began on Wednesday morning when guards at the BDR headquarters opened fire at a meeting of their officers, seized a shopping mall and took several hostages.

They said they were angry that the officers, who are seconded from the army, had not raised their concerns with Mrs Hasina when she visited the BDR headquarters on Tuesday.

They demanded better pay, longer holidays and the right to join UN peacekeeping missions, for which Bangladesh is the second-biggest troop contributor after Pakistan. BDR members earn $100 (£70) a month, less than army soldiers, and receive food rations for three months of the year, compared with twelve for the army.

Iftekhar Zaman, the head of Transparency International in Bangladesh, said the mutiny highlighted the frustrations felt by many ordinary Bangladehis, especially state employees.

“The BDR’s peers in the Civil Service get similar pay. I don’t think there’s any chance of it spreading to them but it’s very hard to predict and the BDR are not only in Dhaka but all over the country,” he told The Times.

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