Criminals in Chattogram reckless, open fire in broad daylight

"Suddenly, I heard sharp bangs in my sleep. The children panicked and started running around in all directions. I got up and looked through the window to see gunfire at the house across the canal. The window glass was shattered, and the criminals were fleeing."

Hafiz Md Rezaul Kabir, a teacher at the neighboring Hazrat Muaz bin Jabal Madrasa, was thus describing the gun attack at a businessman's house in Chandanpura under Chattogram's Chawkbazar Police Station.

Rezaul, who has been teaching at the institution since 2017, said, "I have never seen such an incident in this area before, nor have I heard of it."

Four armed men carrying pistols, an SMG, a Chinese rifle and a shotgun opened fire on the businessman’s house in Chandanpura while police were deployed there. The attackers opened fire in public and left unhindered after failing to receive extortion money. Yet the police could not mount an immediate resistance against the criminals.

The incident took place on 28 February. Mostafizur Rahman, chairman of Smart Group, told Prothom Alo that gangster Sazzad initially demanded Tk 100 million and later reduced the demand to Tk 50 million. After he refused to pay, gunmen opened fire at his house on 2 January as well.

Following that incident, police were deployed in front of the house and a case was filed. But after failing to receive the extortion money, Sazzad sent a WhatsApp message 20 days before the latest attack. It read, “Wait and see.”

The incident in Chandanpura offers a glimpse into the recent law and order situation in Chattogram, where criminals can openly open fire and leave with their weapons despite police protection, CCTV cameras and a case being filed. Similar incidents have also been reported in Bayezid, Chandgaon, Panchlaish, Bakalia, Khulshi, areas adjacent to Hathazari and even crowded places such as Patenga beach.

According to law enforcement officials, victims and local sources, at least eight notorious criminal groups or gangs are currently active in Chattogram city, including the group led by Sazzad Ali alias Boro Sazzad, a top criminal linked to the Chandanpura attack.

The other notorious criminals include Sazzad Hossain alias Chhoto Sazzad, Mobarak Hossain Emon alias David Emon, Mohammad Raihan, Shahidul Islam, head of the Buiysha gang, Burma Saiful and the Morshed Khan and Abdus Sobhan-Shawkat groups based in Bakalia.

Besides these groups, several teenage gangs are active in Muradpur, Panchlaish and other areas. Police records contain the names of more than 300 criminals, ranging from relatively minor offenders to notorious gangsters.

According to Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) data, at least 125 murder cases were filed between August 2024 and May this year. Another 25 people were killed in the first seven months of this year.

Prothom Alo analysed 35 sensational murder cases among these incidents. Of the victims, 22 were shot dead. There have also been numerous incidents of people being shot and injured and of gunfire being used to spread fear.

At least 13 shooters, gunmen or field-level organisers have repeatedly been named in connection with these shootings. They include Mohammad Borhan, Mehedi Hasan, Khorshed Alam, Mobarak alias Kala Mobarak, Abdul Kader, Mohammad alias Bhatija Mohammad, Munna, an associate of Buiysha and Burma Sobuj. However, more than 100 shooters are believed to be active in different parts of Chattogram.

Ershad Ullah, convener of Chattogram city BNP and a member of parliament, told Prothom Alo that businesspeople and ordinary residents are living in discomfort because of the criminals. “They should be dealt with firmly,” he said.

Talking to people from various classes and professions and law enforcement agency officials in various areas of Chattogram city suggest that the underworld has become divided among several criminal gangs. Some issue instructions from abroad, while others come to the city, open fire and flee or take shelter in the hills. Some extort money from businesses, construction sites, scrap-metal trade, garages, sand quarries, footpaths and drug trafficking.

Whenever their activities face any obstacle, the criminals resort to gunfire and intimidation. Frightened by their reckless behaviour, most victims neither approach the police nor feel confident enough to file complaints.

Ahmad Reza, a former joint convener of the thana unit of the Chhatra Dal in the Uttar Kulgaon area of Baluchhara, did not file a case out of fear even after 15 to 20 bullets were fired at his house for protesting against extortion.

Police and local sources said more than 40 incidents of gunfire have taken place in Chattogram city since 5 August 2024. Oxygen, Baluchhara, Hamzarbagh, Chandanpura, Chandgaon, Badurtala, Khulshi, Burma Colony, Bakalia and Kalurghat have witnessed a higher number of such incidents.

On 18 September 2024, three armed men got off a tomtom (locally made vehicle) in front of the gate of an under-construction building in Kalarapul, Bayezid. They were wearing masks and one of them was carrying a shotgun. Pointing their weapons at the building's security guard, they demanded to meet the owners. They later opened fire. The attack was allegedly carried out after the owners refused to pay Tk 500,000 in extortion.

According to police sources, 68 extortion cases were filed between August 2024 and May this year.

The situation has reached such a point that businesspeople in Chattogram took to the streets on 14 July to protest against extortion and criminal activities.

The day before, a group attacked Digital Dot Net (DDN), an internet service provider, in the Bakalia access road area and looted Tk 3.5 million. Two days earlier, criminal David Emon had allegedly demanded Tk 20 million in extortion from the company's owner, Adil Bin Mamun, over the phone. David Emon, who has recently been in the spotlight, was arrested in Jashore on 29 July.

Law enforcement agencies say that the shift in political power during the July mass uprising was accompanied by a transfer of weapons and control within the criminal underworld. After the fall of the Awami League government, weapons belonging to those who fled the country or went into hiding have ended up in the hands of many criminals now active in the city.

Police have also received information that consignments of weapons are entering Chattogram through the Myanmar border. There are also indications of links between criminal groups in Chattogram and armed groups operating in the hills.

Asked about the activities of armed criminals, CMP Commissioner Hasan Md Shawkat Ali told Prothom Alo that a good number of criminals including weapons have been arrested. Police operations to catch others are ongoing. City residents have nothing to be terrified of.

In February, criminals drew seven red marks on the door of a businessman’s home in Bakalia. They later called him and said, “If we wanted, we could have killed your wife and children. Look at the marks and understand the rest.”

The businessman subsequently paid Tk 500,000. But he did not file a case out of fear and declined to speak to the media.

Several police officials in the city and district told Prothom Alo that such incidents are common. Victims often pay up after receiving threats but do not file cases. According to them, the criminals’ primary objective is to intimidate victims into paying money. They may fire shots, mark a door or simply make a phone call but the goal remains the same, forcing the victim to pay.

Sazzad Ali is one of the most notorious names in Chattogram’s criminal underworld. He was arrested with an AK-47 rifle after eight people, including six Chhatra League leaders and activists, were shot dead in Bahaddarhat in 2000. He left the country in 2004 after securing bail. Since then, he has been operating an extensive criminal network from abroad.

A police official said Sazzad’s gang is primarily involved in major incidents of gun violence, extortion and murder in the city. Other groups may be smaller but have created fear in their respective areas.

Another notorious criminal, known as Chhoto Sazzad, used to run Sazzad’s network in Bangladesh. He faces 17 cases, including those involving murder, firearms and extortion. He became more active after securing bail following 5 August 2024.

Prothom Alo investigated 35 incidents of shootings and murders that took place after the July mass uprising and found information suggesting that Sazzad’s gang was involved in at least 15 of them. According to police, at least 50 shooters are currently active in Boro Sazzad’s network.

CMP Additional Commissioner Md Wahidul Haque Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that associates of fugitive criminal Sazzad are involved in most incidents of extortion, gun violence and murder. Some other groups are involved in extortion from footpaths, roads and public transport. Many of them have been arrested, he said.

There are also allegations that some field-level law enforcement personnel collect monthly payments from criminal gangs, allowing the criminals to obtain information from inside the law enforcement agencies.

On this issue, Additional Commissioner Wahidul Haque Chowdhury said, “More than 20 police personnel have faced disciplinary action this year for various reasons. We will take action if we receive specific complaints of this nature.”

Sources involved in the police investigation said fugitive criminal Sazzad is now recruiting members for his gang from abroad through various methods. Low-income and marginalised people, as well as many drug users, are being recruited by offering large sums of money, motorcycles and other benefits.

Not all members of the gang are aware of one another’s identities.

New recruits are reportedly made to take an oath while touching a religious scripture. In many cases, they are also required to give a video interview to the gang leader. They are then assigned various criminal tasks. Those who pass the “test” are inducted into the gang.

Police learned about the recruitment process after arresting three associates of Boro Sazzad on 13 March. Along with firearms, police recovered a video clip from Kaiyum Chowdhury alias Rimon, Monir and Sayem.

A senior CMP official told Prothom Alo on 5 July that the video was primarily in Rimon’s possession. It showed new recruits holding a religious scripture and taking an oath of allegiance to Sazzad’s gang.

The extent to which the extortion economy is organised in Chattogram can be seen from a video found on the mobile phone of a man named Saidul Islam. While filming several under-construction buildings in the Noyahat area of Bayezid Bostami, he was heard saying, “There are many buildings here. We can collect Tk 50 million to Tk 100 million. We will have to shoot those who betray us.”

Saidul was arrested from Noyahat in Bayezid Bostami on 5 March. Police later said he had recorded the video to send to notorious criminal Boro Sazzad. His job was to visit different parts of the city, film under-construction buildings, find out the identities of their owners and assess how much extortion could be collected from each building. He was paid Tk 5,000 a week for the information.

According to police, Sazzad has more than 50 sources like Saidul. They provide information on under-construction buildings in Bayezid, Chandgaon, Panchlaish, Hathazari, Chawkbazar and other areas.

The then-Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bayezid Bostami Police Station, Zahedul Kabir told Prothom Alo that Saidul not only filmed under-construction buildings but also provided criminals with information about how much money could be extorted from each building, the identities of the owners and what should be done if they refused to pay.

Facebook is now also being used as a weapon in Chattogram’s criminal underworld.

Akbar Ali, known as Dhakaiya Akbar, was a criminal from the Bayezid area. The accused in 10 cases involving murder, firearms and extortion, Akbar was once a member of Boro Sazzad’s gang before forming his own group.

Akbar used to post videos on Facebook making derogatory remarks about Chhoto Sazzad and his wife, Tamanna Sharmin. In response, Tamanna threatened Akbar in videos, warning that he would be dealt with.

Amid the exchange of threats, Akbar was shot dead in the Patenga sea beach area on 23 May last year.

The name of another criminal, Mohammad Raihan, emerged in the investigation into Akbar’s murder. Raihan is one of the most discussed criminals in connection with several recent murders. His home is in Raozan.

Raihan became acquainted with and grew close to Chhoto Sazzad while they were both in prison at different times after being arrested. He subsequently rose through Chattogram’s criminal underworld.

His name has emerged in murder cases in Raozan, Bakalia, Patenga, Chandgaon, Bayezid Bostami and Chawkbazar, among other areas. According to police, Raihan has been named in at least 13 cases, including the double murder in Bakalia, the killing of Jubo Dal activist Ibrahim in Raozan and the murder of Dhakaiya Akbar in Patenga.

Several law enforcement sources said Raihan stays in hill areas along the borders of Raozan, Rangunia and Fatikchhari. He allegedly comes to the city to commit crimes and then returns to his hideout in the hills.

Shahidul Islam alias Buiysha is a source of fear in Chandgaon and Panchlaish. He began his criminal activities through theft and mugging before rising from a teenage gang member to a major criminal. He faces at least 20 cases.

Buiysha’s gang relies on extortion from garages, small businesses, drug trafficking, teenage gangs and local businesses. Buiysha was arrested on 20 December last year.

Police found a “torture cell” belonging to Buiysha in a building in the Bahaddarhat kitchen market area of Chandgaon. However, around 30 members of his gang are still active in criminal activities in various ways.

Local sources said Buiysha’s gang also occasionally engages in gunfights with associates of criminal Ismail Hossain alias Tempo, who is out on bail, over control of the area.

The gang came under widespread attention after a video showing Buiysha’s associate Munna pulling a pistol from his waist and firing shots in front of a garage in the Badurtala area of Panchlaish went viral on social media on 4 October last year.

According to police, 15 extortion cases were filed with Chandgaon and Panchlaish police stations during the first 17 months following the July mass uprising. Local businessmen, however, believe the actual number is higher, as many victims did not dare to file cases.

On 10 November 2024, Buiysha opened fire at a motor garage beside Chandgaon police station after failing to receive extortion money. Police later arrested three of his associates on 10 October last year. They recovered drugs and firearms from them, as well as a money-counting machine.

Zahedul Kabir, then officer-in-charge of Chandgaon police station, said the machine was used to count money collected through extortion and drug trafficking.

Earlier, on 21 July last year, police arrested 11 associates of Buiysha. At the time, they discovered the gang’s torture cell in a building in the Bahaddarhat kitchen market area of Chandgaon.

Expressing concern over the deterioration of law and order in Chattogram, city Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Muhammad Nazrul Islam told Prothom Alo that attacks, looting, and armed rioting are going on by entering business establishments in broad daylight. The government is unable to do anything.

The names of Mobarak Hossain Emon alias David Emon, Mohammad Borhan and Mehedi Hasan have repeatedly surfaced in connection with the field-level activities of Sazzad’s gang. They have now emerged as major criminals in Chattogram. According to police, some are skilled in handling firearms, some arrange motorcycles and hire gunmen for attacks, while others oversee extortion from under-construction buildings and factories.

Emon, a resident of Kanchannagar in Fatikchhari, is known as Chhoto Sazzad’s right-hand man. Information on 15 cases has been found against him. Police say he is skilled in handling firearms and have photographs showing him carrying different types of weapons at various times. He was arrested and is now in jail.

Mohammad Borhan was another key figure involved in extortion at the field level. A resident of the city’s 2 No. Gate area, Borhan has been named in eight cases, including a double murder in Bakalia and the murder of Dhakaiya Akbar. According to police, he collected extortion money from under-construction buildings and factories. His associates would intimidate people with firearms, open fire and assault workers when extortion demands were not met.

The name of Mehedi Hasan has also emerged in connection with the planning of the double murder in Bakalia. Known to be close to Chhoto Sazzad, Mehedi was arrested from Hatia in Noakhali. He faces 13 cases, including those involving murder and extortion.

The pattern of crime in Bakalia is somewhat different. Criminal Morshed Khan, a former convener of the Bakalia thana unit of the Chhatra Dal, left the area in 2003 fearing a “crossfire” killing. He returned to the area after 5 August 2024 despite having been sentenced to life imprisonment. By then, however, one of his former followers, Abdus Sobhan, had formed his own gang.

According to police, Morshed’s followers attacked Sobhan and Shawkat’s associates over control of the area. During the clashes, pedestrians, autorickshaw drivers and factory workers were injured by gunfire. Police later arrested five people and recovered firearms.

Meanwhile, the gang of Saiful Alam alias Burma Saiful has established dominance in Bayezid, Khulshi and Akbar Shah over extortion, drugs and other crimes. Saiful, a former assistant secretary of the city unit of the Chhatra Dal, was expelled from the organisation on 13 October 2024. He faces 20 cases.

Lieutenant Colonel Md Hafizur Rahman, commander of RAB-7, which works on law and order in the Chattogram region, told Prothom Alo that most incidents of murder and gunfire are linked to criminal groups seeking to establish dominance. Such attempts to establish control, in turn, are largely driven by competition over extortion and illegal sources of income.

The officer also believes the spread of drugs is one of the major causes of crime.

People familiar with the situation say extortion, drugs and land grabbing have created the flow of money that sustains criminal gangs. Breaking this cycle of crime will be difficult without political will from those in power. Although some members of criminal gangs have been arrested, many of their patrons and key shooters remain beyond the reach of law enforcement.

Akhtar Kabir Chowdhury, president of the Chattogram city unit of Shujan told Prothom Alo that criminal gangs become emboldened when they enjoy political patronage. In many cases, they also establish links with the administration.

He said the administration must be allowed to work neutrally. Whichever party the criminal belongs to, they must be caught as a criminal. Otherwise, this cycle of controlling the area through shooting, extortion, and fear will not break.