Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Bangladesh, Benazir Ahmed, has reportedly been released from a prison in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
However, Bangladesh Police say they have not yet been able to officially verify the media reports. Even so, two senior sources at police headquarters say they are not ruling out the possibility.
Following reports published by several Bangladeshi news outlets on Sunday claiming that Benazir Ahmed had been released on bail, Prothom Alo spoke to multiple sources of police in Dhaka to verify the matter. They said that no official information confirming his release had yet been received from either the Dubai authorities or Interpol. As a result, they were unable to confirm the media reports.
Prothom Alo has been unable to independently verify under what legal process or conditions Benazir Ahmed may have been released, or where he is currently staying.
However, two sources close to Benazir Ahmed told Prothom Alo that he had been released from a Dubai prison last Thursday. Both the sources said they had spoken with him following his release.
Two senior officials at police headquarters also said they could not dismiss the possibility that Benazir Ahmed had been released. They added that efforts were under way to establish official contact with the relevant authorities. However, as Sunday is a public holiday in Dubai, the process has been delayed.
Asked about the matter, police headquarters spokesperson and Assistant Inspector General of Police, Shahadat Hossain told Prothom Alo on Sunday afternoon that the police had no information regarding Benazir Ahmed’s release.
Dubai Police had not officially communicated any such information to the Bangladesh authorities, he added.
Prothom Alo has been unable to independently verify under what legal process or conditions Benazir Ahmed may have been released, or where he is currently staying.
Prothom Alo has also sought an official response from Dubai Police regarding the reported release. However, no reply had been received by the time this report was filed on Sunday afternoon.
Attempts to contact Benazir Ahmed on his personal mobile phone were also unsuccessful.
Earlier, Bangladesh Police said Benazir Ahmed had been arrested by Dubai Police with the assistance of Interpol in connection with a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The relevant authorities formally notified Bangladesh of the arrest through a letter dated 12 June.
ACC also has no official information
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also says it has not received any official information or documentation regarding reports of Benazir Ahmed’s release in Dubai.
Speaking to journalists at the ACC headquarters in Segunbagicha of Dhaka on Sunday afternoon, the commission’s Director General (Special Investigation) Mir Md. Zainul Abedin Shebly, said, “We learned about former IGP Benazir Ahmed’s release through media reports. However, the ACC has not yet received any official information or documents regarding the matter. The Commission will take whatever legal steps are necessary once such information is formally received.”
Asked whether there had been any shortcomings on the part of the ACC in handling Benazir Ahmed’s cases, the DG rejected the suggestion, insisting that there had been no deficiencies in either the investigation or the legal process.
Benazir Ahmed served as Inspector General of Police from 15 April 2020 to 30 September 2022. Before becoming police chief, he served as Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Director General of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
In December 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on seven current (the then) and former RAB officials over allegations of serious human rights abuses. Benazir Ahmed was among those sanctioned.
Several months before the Awami League government was ousted in the 2024 mass uprising, reports emerged detailing the vast wealth accumulated by Benazir Ahmed and his family. The revelations prompted the ACC to launch an investigation, during which he left the country. Multiple corruption cases were subsequently filed against him, and the courts issued arrest warrants.
On 10 February 2025, a court ordered that the arrest warrant against Benazir Ahmed be executed through Interpol.
Earlier, on 15 December 2024, the ACC filed four separate cases against Benazir Ahmed, his wife Zeeshan Mirza, and their two daughters, accusing them of acquiring illicit assets worth Tk740 million and concealing information about those assets.
The lawsuits allege that Benazir Ahmed accumulated unexplained assets worth Tk94.4 million and concealed assets valued at Tk26.2 million. His wife, Zeeshan Mirza, is accused of possessing unexplained assets worth Tk316.9 million and concealing assets worth Tk160.1 million.
The ACC has also accused Benazir’s elder daughter, Farheen Rishta Binte Benazir, of possessing illicit assets worth Tk87.5 million, while his younger daughter, Tahseen Raisa Binte Benazir, is accused of acquiring illicit assets worth Tk55.9 million.
Under court orders, a substantial amount of land, apartments and shares in various companies owned by Benazir Ahmed and his family have been seized. Their savings certificates, bank accounts and beneficiary owner (BO) accounts used for share trading have also been frozen.