148 armed extortionists active across city, concentrated at crime hotspots

Tk 200 collected daily from shops on the pavement, monthly payments from leguna (locally made smaller public transport), bus and truck terminals, and regular extortion from markets, construction projects and illegal utility connections in slums — behind this visible layer of extortion in the capital lies another far more dangerous network, professional armed criminals.

According to police records, around 148 armed criminals are actively involved in extortion across Dhaka.

Some of these armed men are members of local criminal gangs, some collect extortion money on behalf of top criminals, some control occupied areas and some of them intimidate businesspeople. Some are also engaged in extortion in different areas on behalf of several top criminals living abroad.

According to police records and related sources, some also operate under the patronage of influential local politicians.

A recent list prepared by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) includes the names of 1,280 extortionists currently active in the capital. Of them, 148 have been identified as armed criminals.

According to the DMP list, the highest numbers of these armed criminals are active in the Gulshan, Badda and Rampura areas.

Investigations found that extortion is collected from businesses, scrap trading, internet service, shops set up illegally on pavements, vegetable markets and fish markets in the Gulshan, Badda and Bhatara areas. In the DIT Project area of Merul Badda, around 60 plots were occupied years ago to establish a fish market. These criminals reportedly collect nearly Tk 300,000 in extortion from the market every day.

Police records and related sources say several notorious professional criminal gangs control extortion, land grabbing and various other crimes in these areas. Among them is the Jisan Group, led by listed top criminal Jisan Ahmed.

According to the police records, the group collects extortion money from various businesses in the area. The gangs of two other top criminals, Subrata Bain and Molla Masud, are also active there. Apart from them, the Robin-Dalim-Mahbub Group and the Calling Mehedi Group also operate in the Gulshan and Badda areas.

In Gulshan-1, Gulshan-2 and Shahjadpur, extortion ranging from Tk 200 to Tk 1,500 a day is collected from shops illegally set up on pavements. Police records also mention that spa centres in Gulshan and Banani pay between Tk 10,000 and Tk 20,000 a month in extortion.

Members of the Robin-Dalim-Mahbub Group are allegedly involved in collecting this money. Meanwhile, the Calling Mehedi Group is reportedly involved in contract killings and various extortion rackets in Badda, Gulshan and Mohakhali.

Several car traders in the Baridhara area alleged that large sums of money had been demanded from them in the name of top criminals. When they refused to pay, crude bombs were exploded in front of their shops to intimidate them. They filed general diaries (GDs) with Bhatara police station, but the threats reportedly continued.

An official of the Gulshan division of the Detective Branch (DB) of police said extortion is being carried out in the names of several criminals living abroad. According to the official, besides associates of Jisan and Subrata Bain, members of the Calling Mehedi and Mahbub groups are involved in extortion and land grabbing in Gulshan, Bhatara and Badda areas.

Deputy Commissioner of DMP’s Gulshan division, Tanvir Ahmed told Prothom Alo that many people are attempting extortion in Gulshan, Banani and Badda areas while operating from abroad.

He said police are conducting regular raids against members of these gangs, and immediate action is taken whenever there are any incidents. He added that members of various criminal groups are being arrested regularly.

Among the professional criminal gangs operating in Gulshan, Mohakhali, Badda, Rampura and Moghbazar areas, the Jisan Group has the highest number of members, according to police.

The armed criminals from the group listed by police are Shamim, Zakir Hossain, Abul Bashar Badsha, Kaiser alias Golakata Kaiser, Maharaj Mia, Shafiqul Islam Helal, Tanvir, Arif Hossain Ripon, Abu Sayeed Russell, Kawsar Molla alias Kana Kawsar, Saimon, Barishaillya Shanto, Nahid, Mamun, Rabbi, Minhaj, Arif alias Pistol Arif and Shuvo alias Ghatok Shuvo.

However, several local sources said the Jisan Group has more members whose names are not on the list. They include Ashik, Mahbub, Badal, Pinku of Moghbazar, Sujon of Goran and Shahzada of Rampura. Police have information suggesting that Jisan has been operating extortion and other criminal networks in Bangladesh from abroad.

The head of the Calling Mehedi gang, Mehedi, is currently in the United States and is allegedly running the group from there, according to police sources. Mehedi was once a leader of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at Government Titumir College.

According to the list, members of his gang include Wasir Sayeed alias Boro Sayeed, Dulal Hossain, Abdul Mannan, Morsalin Haidar Babu, Abdur Rahman Rubel, Saiful, Imran, Moyla Sayeed, Maruful Islam Palak, Mobinul Islam Bandhan, Raihan Sharif Manik, Sajal Mia, Arnab Sayeed, Hossain Shawon, Tapan, Rabiul, Khokon, Zia, Ismail, Hridoy alias Chora Hridoy, Bullet Babu, Sohel alias Kanni Sohel, Amir Hossain Babu, SM Aminul Haque, Tanvir Islam, Nur Alam, Rony and Habibur Rahman.

The list of armed extortionists linked to the Robin-Dalim-Mahbub gang includes Simon Masum, Anisur Rahman Shimanto, Iqbal Hossain, Salauddin Salu, Shafiqul Islam, Helal, Sabbir Hossain, Rubel, Shah Mohammad, Shalman and Mofizur Rahman from the Badda area.

Investigations found that the Robin-Dalim-Mahbub group has long been active in Badda’s criminal underworld. Police sources said the group’s three leaders are currently in Malaysia and are operating the gang from there. Members of the gang are allegedly involved also in contract killings alongside extortion and land grabbing in Badda area.

Among the armed operatives of Subrata Bain’s group whose names appear on the list are Mehedi Hasan alias Dipu (described as an arms stockpiler and extortion coordinator), Mahfuzur Rahman alias Bipu, Arafat Ibne Nasir, Sharif and Madhu.

In February, the army arrested Mehedi Hasan alias Dipu from his house in Badda’s Byaparipara area. On that day, 11 foreign-made firearms and 394 rounds of ammunition were recovered from a flat on the third floor of his house.

However, various local sources said the names of several key associates of Subrata Bain were not included in the list. They include Phensy Bashar, Shooter Nayan, Driver Osman and Shooter Bappi of Motijheel. In addition, Wasir Sayeed alias Boro Sayeed is known in criminal circles as a close associate of Subrata Bain, although he is also considered a central figure in the Mehedi Group. He is known in the underworld as an arms stockpiler.

Newspaper reports over the years said Subrata Bain had long been imprisoned in India, while Molla Masud operated criminal gangs in Bangladesh from India. After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024, Subrata Bain suddenly resurfaced in Dhaka’s criminal underworld and drew attention through a series of incidents.

On 27 May 2025, the army arrested Subrata Bain alias Fateh Ali and Molla Masud alias Abu Russell Masud during an operation in Kushtia. Based on information obtained from them, two of Subrata Bain’s associates — Shooter Arafat and Sharif — were later arrested from Dhaka’s Hatirjheel area. At the time, five foreign-made pistols and 53 rounds of ammunition were seized.

According to the police list, there are three armed extortionists active in the Demra police station area, Abul Kalam Azad, Mohammad Bijoy and Mohammad Shibli Ahmed Khan. Five are active in the Shyampur area, Krishna Babu, Rashed, Mohammad Rajan, Sajal and Bapparaj. The three listed in the Wari area are Mahin Khan, Marjan Ahmed alias Bhagne Rony and Md Shamim Mia.

Meanwhile, the three armed extortionists active in the Kadamtali area are Md Jahangir Alam, Wahiduzzaman and Mohan Chand. In Kamrangirchar, the four named are Md Siddiq, Faruk Ahmed, Rahmat Ullah and Sheikh Anwar. In Chawkbazar police station area, the names listed are Md Salauddin alias Beer Salauddin and Hasan Sarwar Pilu.

According to the police list, the armed extortionists active in Sabujbagh are Rifaayatullah Nayeem, Hridoy Sarkar, Md Sayeed, Shafiqul Islam and Nurunnabi Babu. Those active in Khilgaon are Maqbul Hossain, Mintu alias Killer Mintu, Alif and Shuvo alias Ripon. Among them, Alif is the leader of a juvenile gang. In the Paltan police station area, Kazi Hasibur Rahman and Mujahidul Islam Sohag are the ones active.

The police list also includes names of armed extortionists operating in Shahjahanpur, Lalbagh, Mohammadpur, Mirpur and Pallabi police station areas. In addition, police have information suggesting that members of the top criminal Iman Group are involved in extortion in Dhanmondi and Hazaribagh areas, while members of Pichchi Helal’s group are active in Mohammadpur.

Deputy commissioner of the DMP’s Media and Public Relations Division, NM Nasiruddin, told Prothom Alo that several identified armed extortionists have already been arrested, while operations to detain the others are continuing.

He said that a special crackdown began across Dhaka on 1 May. As of 6 May, as many as 145 listed extortionists and 256 of their associates had been arrested.

The picture that emerged from Prothom Alo’s three-part investigation shows a complex network behind the extortion racket involving armed gangs, political patronage, the control of top criminals living abroad and administrative weaknesses.

Analysts believe that merely preparing lists and conducting short-term raids will not be enough to dismantle these criminal networks. To stop extortion, not only the armed operatives but also their patrons, financial beneficiaries and administrative collaborators must be brought under accountability. Otherwise, only the individuals collecting the money will change, while the extortion system itself will remain intact.

Criminology expert and a teacher at Dhaka University, Tawohidul Haque told Prothom Alo that armed extortionists are the most dangerous among such criminals.

“They commit various brutal acts to collect extortion money,” he said.

The government must ensure these terrorists and extortionists cannot exploit legal loopholes to secure release after being arrested, he added.