The Benazir Saga: A former top cop’s ledger of misdeeds

During the tenure of the now-banned Bangladesh Awami League (AL), Benazir Ahmed wielded immense influence. After serving as the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner and Director General of RAB (Rapid Action Battalion), he was appointed the country’s police chief. Allegations of amassing vast illegal wealth had surfaced even during his time in office. When efforts were finally initiated to investigate those allegations, he fled the country with his family.

Within a few months of his departure, the Awami League government fell on 5 August 2024. Following the regime change, the probe into Benazir’s corruption gained momentum and further details of his illicit activities surfaced. After several cases were filed, a court issued a warrant for his arrest. An Interpol Red Notice was also issued seeking his arrest.

The former Inspector General of Police (IGP) has been arrested with the incumbent government of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in power for four months following the tenure of the nearly 18 months of the interim government. He was arrested with the help of Interpol and through the police in Dubai on 12 June, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed informed the Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) on Sunday.

Benazir Ahmed joined the police service in 1988 and served as IGP from 15 April 2020 to 30 September 2022. Prior to that, he held the roles of DMP Commissioner and DG of RAB.

The home minister has told Parliament that Benazir would be brought back to Bangladesh soon. Upon his return, he is expected to face trial in multiple cases.

In addition to allegations of crimes against humanity, he faces accusations of corruption, illicit wealth accumulation, land grabbing and money laundering. Benazir, who was sanctioned by the United States over alleged human rights violations, has also been accused of obtaining a fake PhD degree.

Benazir Ahmed is one of the accused in a crimes against humanity case filed over the killings that took place during a rally  of Hefazat-e-Islam at Shapla Chattar in the capital’s Motijheel area. He was serving as the Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) at the time of the incident.

According to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), Md. Aminul Islam, 58 killings have been confirmed so far in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Cumilla and Chattogram surrounding the Hefazat-e-Islam rally on 5 and 6 May in 2013.

Other high-profile accused in this case include ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir and former IGP Hassan Mahmood Khandaker.

Benazir is also an accused in another crimes against humanity case involving enforced disappearances at RAB’s TFI cell during the Awami League tenure. There are 17 accused in this case, including 12 military officers. Testimony for this case is currently being recorded at ICT-1.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed four separate cases against Benazir Ahmed, his wife and their two daughters. The cases accuse them of acquiring illegal assets worth Tk 740 million and concealing information about those assets.

According to case details, Benazir acquired Tk 94.4 million in wealth beyond his known courses of income and concealed information regarding Tk 26.2 million in assets. His wife, Zeeshan Mirza, accumulated Tk 316.9 million in illegal wealth and concealed information regarding Tk 160.1 million. The couple’s elder daughter, Farheen Rishta Binte Benazir acquired Tk 87.5 million and their younger daughter Tahsin Raisa Binte Benazir accumulated Tk 55.9 million in illicit assets.

Furthermore, the ACC found four flats in Dhaka’s Gulshan area, 33 bank accounts, shares in 19 companies, three BO (Beneficiary Owner) accounts for stock trading and Tk 3 million in savings certificates registered under the names of Benazir Ahmed and his family members.

A court ordered the seizure of these assets following an appeal by the ACC.

In connection with the ACC case, a Dhaka court on 10 February last year ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant against Benazir Ahmed through Interpol.

Benazir Ahmed and members of his family also face allegations of money laundering. The ACC has filed a case against Benazir, his wife and their two daughters, accusing them of laundering Tk 113.45 million.

In February last year, ACC officials said they had found no evidence that a loan amounting to Tk 113.45 million had been invested anywhere. According to investigators, Benazir withdrew the money and subsequently left the country.

Benazir departed Bangladesh on 4 May 2024, after the ACC launched an investigation following the publication of reports alleging corruption.

In his home district of Gopalganj, Benazir Ahmed established massive resorts by acquiring hundreds of bighas of land in his and his family members’ names across Gopalganj and Madaripur districts.

The vast majority of this land belonged to the local Hindu community. Victims alleged that they were left with no choice but to sell, claiming the former police chief used intimidation, force and various coercive tactics to seize their properties.

In Bairagi Tola village of Gopalganj Sadar, Benazir built the ‘Savanna Eco Resort and Natural Park’ on more than 600 bighas of land. Following a court order to seize the installations, the Gopalganj district administration took control of the park in June 2024.

Additionally, Benazir constructed a house on 24 kathas of land along the Demra-Ichapura road in Narayanganj’s Rupganj. The property, registered under his daughter’s name, was titled Savanna Eco Resort Private Limited.

Investigations also revealed that a 55-decimal water body owned by a local resident, Premananda Sarkar, was forcibly filled in the name of Ananda Housing Society. Benazir Ahmed later ‘purchased’ the filled land for Tk 18.3 million.

After becoming IGP, Benazir Ahmed obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Dhaka in 2019. He subsequently began using the title ‘Doctor’ before his name. However, questions were later raised over his eligibility for admission to the doctoral programme.

Benazir Ahmed received his PhD from the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme under the Faculty of Business Studies at the DU. Normally, admission to the programme requires a bachelor’s degree and at least 50 per cent marks in all public examinations. It has been reported that Benazir did not meet these requirements.

Later, the Dhaka University authorities suspended his doctoral degree.

In a blatant misuse of power, Benazir Ahmed obtained a passport in 2016 by hiding his official status and identifying himself as a private sector employee. At the time, he was serving as the Director General of the RAB.

When he applied for a passport renewal under a private identity, the Department of Immigration and Passports initially raised objections and sent a letter to RAB Headquarters. In response, the then-Additional Director General (Administration) of RAB, Abdul Jalil Mandal, issued a letter requesting the immediate replacement of Benazir's passport.

The passport was issued within a staggering 24 hours. In an extraordinary display of favoritism, passport officials even visited Benazir’s private residence to collect his biometrics and photographs.

Although such an act constitutes a criminal offense under both government service rules and the Passport Act, Benazir faced no legal consequences during his tenure.

In 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on seven former and current officials of the RAB over allegations of human rights violations. Benazir Ahmed was one of those sanctioned, though he had already completed his tenure at RAB and was serving as the IGP at the time. He had led the elite force from January 2015 to 14 April 2020.

Despite the sanctions, Benazir Ahmed traveled to New York in August 2022 to participate in the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit. However, his movement was strictly limited. He was not permitted to travel anywhere in the US outside of the official conference activities.