Is Mohammadpur Dhaka’s ‘City of God’?

The video has gone viral on social media. It shows a young man being chased by rivals. While running, the young man falls in front of a shop. Then he is surrounded and hacked with sharp weapons. At one point, the heel of the young man’s left foot is severed.

The incident is from 12 April. The young man has died later. His name is Iman Hossain. After getting involved in the crime world, he took the name “Alex Iman.” He is the head of a criminal group in the capital’s Mohammadpur called the “Alex Group.” He is an associate of top-listed criminal Imamul Hasan Helal, alias Picchi Helal.

Police say there are 18 cases against Iman, including murder, extortion, and drugs. It is notable that he was neither tried nor punished in these cases. He has been killed in an attack by rivals.

The incident resembles the final scene of a famous film, City of God.

On the outskirts of Brazil’s main tourist city Rio de Janeiro, there is a slum called “City of God.” Based on the criminal gangs of that slum, the film was made in 2002 by Brazilian film directors Fernando Ferreira Meirelles and Kátia Lund.

In the film’s final scene, amid a bloody clash between two criminal groups in the slum, the main gang leader Zé Pequeno is caught by police. However, he gets released by bribing the police. He cannot survive; he is killed by a group of boys.

The fate of Iman and Zé Pequeno is the same. They have been killed by rivals. Despite being involved in various crimes, they were neither tried nor punished.

Because justice and the rule of law could not be ensured, the slum City of God in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is still crime-prone. Mohammadpur of Bangladesh also seems like a ‘City of God’; for decades, criminal groups there have been killing each other in cycles of murder and counter-murder. They are engaged in drug trade. They carry out mugging and extortion. But they cannot be suppressed.

“Murders, land grabbing, extortion—this trend has been going on in Mohammadpur for more than four decades,” said an old resident of Mohammadpur. On condition of anonymity, he further said that as time has passed, the nature of crime has changed. New criminal groups have been formed. Criminal activities and the operations of criminal groups still exist and are greater than before.

According to information from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), about fifty criminal groups are now active in Mohammadpur. Among them, 17 are major groups. Each group has around 15–20 criminals.

The criminal groups have various names, such as Patali Group, Level High Group, Daila Group, Alex Group, Gangchil Group, Lou Thela Group, Kobji Kata Anwar Group, Farhad Group, Army Alamgir Group, Nabi Group, and Akbar Group. The sources of income of these criminals are drug trade, mugging, extortion, land grabbing, and working on hire for criminal activities.

After the mass uprising of July on 5 August 2024, Mohammadpur came into discussion. Because, taking advantage of weak police activity, the criminal groups became reckless. At that time, Mohammadpur was mocked in various ways on social media.

According to DMP data, in the 20 months since 5 August 2024, a total of 24 people have been killed in conflicts among criminal groups in Mohammadpur. Most recently, after Iman alias Alex Iman, on the night of 15 April, Asadul Haque alias Lambu Asadul was killed. Police said he was killed over a dispute in the drug trade. There were seven cases against him.

In the 1960s, the Brazilian government took the initiative to establish a housing project named “City of God” to make Rio de Janeiro slum-free. However, the work was not done properly. Taking advantage of this, the slum turned into a haven for criminals. Drug trade expanded widely.

The “favelas” (slum areas) of Brazil’s major cities are still havens for criminals. In a BBC report on 29 October 2025, it was said that 132 people were killed in police operations in Rio de Janeiro’s slums.

Police have been trying for many years to suppress the criminal groups there. The operation was part of that effort.

Around the same time in the 1960s when City of God was established, the then Pakistan government also took a project in Mohammadpur.

Assistant Professor Rajarshi Dasgupta of the Department of Political Science at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India and artist-researcher Shaon Akand conducted a study on the socio-economic condition and history of Mohammadpur. In that research article published in 2007, it is said that after the Partition of 1947, Tejgaon, Dhanmondi, and Lalmatia in the western part of Dhaka became major centers of developed housing. The newly wealthy, powerful, and intellectual classes settled there. But Mohammadpur beside these areas was not yet part of the city. It was flood-prone, low-lying, and neglected.

The study further says that in the early 1960s, the government took the initiative to build a new residential area named Mohammadpur by combining eight small villages. At that time, the “Mohammadpur Model Town” project was undertaken.

After Partition, opportunities were created there to rehabilitate Biharis (stranded Pakistanis) who came from India. Essentially, it was a type of housing project. After implementation, an embankment was constructed to protect from floods. That embankment later became known as Ring Road. The modern development of Mohammadpur began in the area from Town Hall to Adabor.

Mohammadpur was full of wetlands, mounds, and jungles. According to the research, after independence in the 1970s, some of the houses allocated were sold by Biharis. Many middle-class families then settled there permanently. Again, many Bihari houses were occupied, forcing them to take shelter in Geneva Camp.

Even in the early 1970s, only the “Mohammadpur Model Town” part was considered Mohammadpur. Expansion toward Bosila in the west began from the 1980s. Local residents say small criminal gangs began forming in neighbourhoods from that time.

Artist-researcher Shaon Akand said that Mohammadpur was born amid a kind of uncertainty. Its political reality is also different. Therefore, with political change, Mohammadpur has also changed.

Small gangs in Mohammadpur became larger in the 1980s and 1990s. According to former police officials, during that time the use of firearms by criminals in Dhaka increased. They controlled extortion, tender manipulation, and drug trade. They also worked to establish dominance on behalf of political parties. Killings over control and dominance between politics and crime were quite regular.

From case documents, old newspapers, and police reports, it is seen that in the early 1990s, a major criminal group in Mohammadpur was controlled by Tofayel Ahmed alias Joseph, younger brother of former army chief Aziz Ahmed. He came into discussion in 1993 by shooting and killing student leader Morshed. At that time, his brother Haris Ahmed was also a major criminal, but Joseph’s name was more prominent.

In 1996, Joseph’s group killed contractor Mostafizur Rahman. In that case, Joseph and his brother Abu Sayeed Tipu were arrested in 1997. Joseph was sentenced to life imprisonment. After serving 20 years, he was released in 2018 under presidential clemency during the Awami League government.

He left the country shortly before the fall of that government in 2024.
At one time, members of Joseph’s group included Sanjidul Islam (Iman), his brother-in-law Naim Ahmed (Titon), and Imamul Hasan Helal alias Picchi Helal. Among them, Iman and Picchi Helal later formed separate groups and became listed as top criminals by police.

From 1993 to 2000, at least seven people were killed in Mohammadpur over control and dominance.

On 13 March 1999, Joseph’s brother Abu Sayeed Tipu and his friend Emran were killed by Iman’s group.

In 2001, during the BNP-led four-party alliance government, police published a list of top criminals. The list included Iman, Titon, Picchi Helal, and Haris Ahmed.

Except Haris, the others were arrested. Taking advantage of this, some new criminal groups were formed under the patronage of certain local BNP leaders. Among them were Ehsanul Haque Setu, Abul Hashem Hasu, Nabi Hossain, and KS Ahmed Raju.

From 2001 to 2004, according to reports published in Prothom Alo, at least 40 people, including 30 BNP activists, were killed in conflicts over local dominance. In 2004, RAB was formed. After that, with a series of killings of criminals in so-called “crossfire,” many criminals fled the area.

After the Awami League came to power in 2009, crime in Mohammadpur took a new dimension under political patronage. “Teen gangs” increased. They became involved in drugs, mugging, extortion, land grabbing, and other crimes. Most gangs were patronised by Masudur Rahman Biplob, personal secretary of Awami League leader Jahangir Kabir Nanak, former councillorS Tarekuzzaman Rajib, and Asif Ahmed (nephew of Aziz Ahmed and Joseph). These groups controlled extortion from markets, mosque committees, footpaths, and bus stands.

This continued until the fall of the Awami League government. After its fall, on 15 August 2024, top criminal Sanjidul Islam Iman was released on bail. The next day, Picchi Helal was also released on bail.

Law enforcement sources say that after release, Picchi Helal became a controller of the crime world in parts of Mohammadpur. Conflict began between him and Iman. Killings increased over control of territory, land grabbing, and drug trade.

On 20 September 2024, a double murder occurred in the Beri Bandh area of Mohammadpur, where Picchi Helal was accused.

In March and April 2025, there were two shooting incidents at the house of housing businessman Monir Ahmed on Sher Shah Suri Road. A police source said the shootings were linked to the conflict between Picchi Helal and Iman.

Not only extortion or drugs, ordinary people in Mohammadpur also become victims of attacks over trivial reasons. For example, on 15 May last year, seven members of a family were hacked by members of the Patali Group. When visited in October, the house owner Abul Kashem broke down in tears while speaking.

He said that on the night of the incident, three boys were peeping into the house. When he asked why, they attacked. Seven members of his family were injured with machetes.

According to a DMP report from October last year, of the 17 major criminal groups active after 5 August 2024, at least six are patronised by five BNP leaders and affiliates. Three more operate under the patronage of top criminals Picchi Helal, Iman, and Nabi Hossain. Three others—Axel Babu, Pappu, and Lambu Mosharraf—claim themselves as BNP supporters and run their own groups.

The Patali Group is allegedly backed by BNP ward leaders Zahirul Islam (Apu) and Osman Reza. Zahirul denied the allegation, calling it propaganda by his rivals.

Although he was expelled from the party over allegations of involvement in crimes, the decision was later withdrawn.

Other alleged patrons include BNP leaders Mannan Shaheen, president of ward no. 33; Md Shakil, general secretary of the same ward, and Zahid Hossain Morol, joint convener of Dhaka city north Jubo Dal, who was later expelled and is now absconding.

Investigations also found links between some police officers and criminals. For example, on 10 September, two youths were beaten to death in Nabinagar Housing. Locals said it was a power struggle led by a BNP leader.

Locals allege that the double murder stemmed from establishing supremacy, and the killings were led by Akter Hossain, assistant student affairs secretary of BNP’s ward no 100. However, police labeled it mob justice and did not file a case, despite video evidence showing a coordinated killing.

Kazi Rafiqul Ahmed, the then officer in charge of Mohammadpur police station, labeled the two persons killed as ‘muggers.’ He said action would be taken if investigations reveal anything.

The video footage of the incident shows that it was not an act of mob beating, rather a coordinated killing by some youths. The faces of the killers were clearly visible in the footage. No case was filed in this incident.

Mohammadpur covers 7.44 square kilometers. According to the 2022 census by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the population density is 70,939 per square kilometer—more than double Dhaka’s average.
The area can be divided into eastern, central, and western zones. Crime is higher in Geneva Camp, central, and western areas, where low-income and floating populations are concentrated.

Officials say geography helps criminals escape quickly, often across the Buriganga River.

Mohammadpur falls under RAB-2 jurisdiction. Its commander Md Khalidul Haque said all elements described in criminological environment theory exist there.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police divides the capital’s 50 police stations into eight crime divisions to carry out its work. Analysis of police data from 2020 to June 2023 shows that the Tejgaon Division has the highest number of cases of theft, mugging, robbery, abduction, and drugs. Mohammadpur falls under the Tejgaon Division.

Police and RAB officials mention two additional reasons behind Mohammadpur becoming crime-prone. One is the expansion of the real estate business and the “Geneva Camp.” There are 97 small and large real estate companies in Mohammadpur. Criminal groups are active to capture the “raw cash” flowing in this sector.

Regarding Geneva Camp, police officials say that teenagers there have limited access to education and face poverty. As a result, they can be easily drawn into crime. The camp is also one of the key hubs of Dhaka’s drug trade. After 5 August 2024, new conflicts emerged over control of drug trafficking, and 10 people have been killed in Geneva Camp.

Mohammad Ibn-e Mizan, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Tejgaon Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told Prothom Alo that due to regular police operations and surveillance, crime in the area remains under control. Without ongoing drives and regular arrests of suspects, the situation would have been far worse.

According to police and RAB data, in the 20 months since 5 August 2024, a total of 4,400 people have been arrested from Mohammadpur. Of them, police arrested about 3,200, while RAB arrested 1,200. Among those arrested are at least 10 leaders of various criminal groups.

However, incidents of crime continue one after another. Examples include the hacking to death of Alex Iman on 12 April and “Lambu Asadul” on 15 April.

Dhaka University criminology department chairman Rezaul Karim told Prothom Alo that without coordinated efforts and proactive policing, crime cannot be controlled in this area. To keep criminals inactive, their movements must be monitored in advance and effective measures taken.

All law enforcement agencies must work together to neutralise criminal groups. He added that, above all, it must be ensured that no one gets away after committing a crime. Without ensuring punishment proportionate to the severity of the crime, it is not possible to control it.

Last November, this correspondent visited a house in Mohammadpur to talk about the area. Eight individuals had gathered there—each well established in their own field and residents of Mohammadpur for three to four decades.

In a long conversation, they recalled memories of earlier days in Mohammadpur. They spoke about its history, shared their personal stories, and expressed their frustrations. One of them (who did not wish to be named due to security concerns) said that because of crime and criminal gangs, people in Dhaka mock them. A perception has developed that Mohammadpur is synonymous with crime. They want freedom from criminal gangs.

He did not want his name published, citing lack of security.