Police officer close to ex-IGP Benazir now at centre of power in Khulna

One name repeatedly surfaced during this investigation into Khulna’s criminal underworld—Taimur Islam. By rank, he is a police inspector. He is currently serving in the Detective Branch (DB) of Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP). However, according to victims, local sources and police documents, his identity extends far beyond that of a law enforcement officer. Allegations of involvement in cases, arrests, intimidation, extortion and links with criminal networks have turned him into a centre of power in Khulna.

Prothom Alo spoke with 13 alleged victims regarding Taimur Islam’s current activities. Nine of them declined to be named. They said speaking out against him could invite administrative pressure. They accused him of filing cases against individuals, helping others forcefully occupy institutions by detaining people and showing them as arrested, implicating them in criminal cases, extorting money through threats of arrest, and in some instances maintaining connections with criminal groups.

Following the July mass uprising, Taimur Islam joined KMP on 3 November 2024. Since then, he has been serving as the Detective Branch inspector (OC) of KMP.

Taimur's ties to Khulna go back many years. Police records list his permanent address on Khan Jahan Ali Road in Khulna Sadar. He studied at Government Azam Khan Commerce College in Khulna and spent a significant portion of his police career in the city.

According to those familiar with the matter, these local roots and long-standing professional connections have enabled him to build a network in the distinct of influence both within and outside the police force.

Police sources say Taimur was also known within the force as a close associate of former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed during the Awami League government. While serving as director general of RAB and later as IGP, Benazir developed the Savannah Eco Resort and Natural Park at Bairagir Tola in Sahapur Union of Gopalganj Sadar upazila.

Local residents alleged that Taimur supervised the acquisition of land for the resort. In May 2024, Prothom Alo spoke with 27 members of families whose land had been acquired for the project. Twenty-five of them said they had been forced to sell their land and that police inspector Taimur Islam had intimidated them. Taimur denied the allegations.

Because of his perceived closeness to the highly influential police officer Benazir Ahmed during the Awami League era, Taimur was widely regarded as powerful within the force. Although reports on intimidation linked to the resort project were published at the time, no action was taken against him.

Following the fall of the Awami League government, those familiar with the situation allege that Taimur has become even more powerful in Khulna. A new narrative has emerged portraying him as a former activist of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal at Khulna Commerce College. There is also discussion in Khulna that he has developed close ties with several local BNP leaders under the changed political circumstances.

Allegations of misconduct and involvement in various irregularities by Taimur have also been documented in reports prepared by the Police Internal Oversight (PIO) unit. Following those findings and a subsequent KMP inquiry, recommendations were made to transfer him to another unit.

On 16 October last year, an official order transferred him to the Tourist Police. He was instructed to obtain release papers and join his new posting by 25 October. The order stated that failure to do so would result in his immediate release from his current post effective 26 October.

Taimur appealed against the transfer, but the request was rejected on 18 November. Four days later, on 23 November, the order assigning him to the Tourist Police was cancelled and he was instead transferred to the Khulna Range.

Despite these three orders, all signed by Additional Inspector General of Police (Administration) AKM Awlad Hossain, Taimur never left KMP. The transfer order to the Khulna Range was also cancelled on 15 March this year. That cancellation order was likewise signed by the additional IGP (administration).

In other words, despite repeated directives from the police headquarters, the inspector known for his close ties to Benazir Ahmed ultimately remained in KMP.

A source at police headquarters said that since 2021–22, it has generally been standard practice not to post officers in their home districts or metropolitan areas. In Taimur’s case, however, that practice was not followed.

Another police headquarters source said that after Taimur's transfer order was issued, lobbying from “very influential quarters” was carried out to have it cancelled. As a result, no action was taken against him despite his failure to join the transferred posting.

Asked about the matter, Additional IGP AKM Awlad Hossain told Prothom Alo that he could not comment on Taimur’s case without reviewing the relevant files.

When asked whether the newspaper could contact him again after he had reviewed the files, he replied, “I am busy. There is no need to call later.”

When reminded that four separate orders bearing his signature had been issued in connection with the matter, he responded, “What will you gain from my opinion?”

Taimur's name has also surfaced in connection with the alleged takeover of North Western University, the first private university in Khulna. Following the July mass uprising, several BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) leaders and other individuals reportedly turned their attention to the institution. Allegations later emerged that efforts were made to take control of the university.

Initially, the university's Board of Trustees was chaired by Talukder Abdul Khaleque, president of the Khulna city Awami League and former mayor. He was later replaced by BNP-backed Sirajul Haque Chowdhury.

Three founding trustees told Prothom Alo that a senior Khulna city BNP leader subsequently pressured them to appoint two individuals, Mizanur Rahman and Hafizur Rahman, as members of the Board of Trustees.

One of the founding trustees, Syed Mohammad Obaidullah, told Prothom Alo that on 21 May 2025, Mizanur Rahman removed Sirajul Haque Chowdhury and declared himself chairman of the board, while Hafizur Rahman became member secretary. 

According to Obaidullah, Mizanur then barred him and two other founding trustees—Pabitra Kumar Sarkar and Sirajul Haque Chowdhury—from entering the campus.

Pabitra Kumar Sarkar challenged the legitimacy of Mizanur and Hafizur by filing a case in a Khulna assistant judge's court. On 13 January, the court imposed an injunction on their activities as trustees. Mizanur later appealed the order, and a hearing was scheduled for 15 April.

Before that hearing could take place, Detective Branch officers of KMP picked up Pabitra Kumar Sarkar from his home late at night on 4 April. He was subsequently shown arrested in an old vandalism case involving damage to a shop, although his name had not appeared in the original first information report (FIR).

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Pabitra Sarkar said that after he was taken to the DB office, Inspector Taimur questioned him about the university-related case.

According to Pabitra, "The first thing they asked me was, 'How many cases have you filed?' I said one. Then they said, 'You filed a case under this government? Who gave you that much courage?' I replied that I had filed the case because the university had been taken over."

Pabitra alleged that Taimur physically assaulted him while he was in DB custody. He further claimed that Taimur instructed subordinate officers to prepare several cases against him. According to Pabitra, he was detained and pressured just before a scheduled hearing in the university case.

After spending 32 days in jail, he was released on bail on 6 May. However, he said he no longer stays at his own home out of fear.

Meanwhile, on 3 May, Mizanur's appeal was dismissed, and the court's injunction against him and Hafizur remained in force.

Taimur denied Pabitra Sarkar's allegations. He told Prothom Alo that the matter involving Pabitra was political in nature and that senior officials would be better placed to comment on it. "Perhaps the plaintiff can also explain the matter," he said.

The complainant in the Khulna Sadar police station case in which Pabitra was shown arrested is Fatema-Tuz-Zohra (Linda). She told Prothom Alo, "The police are handling the case. I do not know anything about it. I did not know Pabitra Sarkar before this. After learning of his arrest, I told the police that no innocent person should be harassed in connection with my case."

A report by the Police Internal Oversight (PIO) unit contains numerous allegations linking Taimur Islam to misconduct and criminal activities. These include detaining individuals and demanding money, threatening to implicate people in criminal cases, accepting bribes by threatening suspects with "crossfire" killings, seizing vehicles without preparing seizure lists, taking money in exchange for not arresting known criminals, and collecting monthly payments from gambling dens, drug operations and other illegal businesses.

One PIO report states that on 22 February last year, Gopal Biswas, a fish trader from Rupsha Fish Market, was detained from the Boro Bazar area of Khulna Sadar and taken to the DB office. He was allegedly threatened with being shown arrested in two murder cases unless he paid Tk 3 million. According to the report, after negotiations, Gopal was released after paying a total of Tk 2.2 million—Tk 1.5 million allegedly for Taimur and Tk 700,000 for a local BNP leader.

Another allegation concerns a car that DB officers allegedly took away from the Rupsha Bus Stand area on 21 January last year without preparing a seizure list. The vehicle belonged to Julekha Begum, also known as "Julekha Dakat." Her son is reportedly an accused in a murder case and allegedly controls an armed youth gang.

According to the report, after the vehicle was taken, Tk 200,000 was collected from the family through bKash. The family was later pressured to transfer ownership of the vehicle to Taimur Islam; alternatively, they were told to pay Tk 500,000.

The PIO report further states that on the night of 6 January last year, a team led by Taimur Islam raided the home of London expatriate Md. Touhidul Islam (Topu) in South Tutpara, Khulna. The officers allegedly broke down the gate, detained him, and pointed a pistol at his wife's head, creating panic inside the house. The report says he was released after paying Tk 45,000.

The report also contains an allegation that Tk 3 million was collected from another accused through threats of killing through "crossfire". It states that Nur Azim, an accused in a Khulna Sadar police station case, was taken to the DB office, where Taimur allegedly demanded Tk 5 million while threatening him with a crossfire. According to the report, a family representative later paid Tk 3 million through an intermediary.

According to the PIO findings, Taimur also accepted a Tk 100,000 in bribe in exchange for not arresting Yakub Ali, a listed criminal, drug trader and murder suspect active in the jurisdictions of Khulna and Labanchara police stations. The report includes several other allegations involving raids, intimidation and financial transactions.

Taimur Islam, however, has denied all the allegations contained in the PIO report, describing them as entirely false.

After reviewing the PIO report, KMP Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operations) Mohammad Rashidul Islam Khan prepared an overall assessment and recommendations. His report stated that Taimur Islam grew up in Khulna and has longstanding personal connections with nearly all major political figures in the city.

It further noted that widespread allegations regarding his involvement in questionable activities had created mistrust and a lack of confidence among local residents and even fellow police officers. To keep the KMP above controversy, the report recommended transferring him to a "non-sensitive" posting.

The assessment also stated that although the allegations might be partially or wholly true, they could not be conclusively proven. It cited several reasons, including the personal interests of complainants, fear of the police, Taimur's alleged past conduct, and mutual interests between police officers and individuals involved in businesses such as hotels or the drug trade.

When contacted about the report, Mohammad Rashidul Islam Khan declined to discuss its contents in detail.

"I conducted the inquiry and submitted the report to the commissioner. I cannot say anything beyond that," he told Prothom Alo.

Taimur Islam joined the police force in 1995 as a sub-inspector (SI). According to data from the Personnel Information Management System of Police Headquarters, he has faced departmental punishment at least eight times during his service career.

Records show that on 3 April 2024, his seniority was reduced by one year. The reason cited was that he had served time in custody after being named as an accused in a criminal case filed by his wife. Following investigation, multiple provisions of the disciplinary and appeal rules for subordinate officers of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police were found to have been violated, leading to a major penalty.

Earlier, on 22 October 2020, he faced a more severe disciplinary action. According to official documents, allegations of collecting extortion money from illegal businesses were proven beyond doubt, resulting in his demotion to a lower pay grade for five years.

Between 1998 and 2001, he was also reprimanded and warned multiple times for negligence in duty, including failure to send case diaries to the circle office on time.

A case was also filed against Taimur in 2021 by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Khulna over allegations of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income. The investigation into the case is still ongoing, ACC Deputy Director (Khulna) Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury told Prothom Alo. On 17 April, the ACC also requested financial records related to Taimur from Khulna Metropolitan Police.

Taimur, however, described all such allegations as “completely false” and based on “misunderstandings.” He denied any links with criminal groups.

He said that in criminal investigations, information is sometimes taken from one side or another. He also denied involvement in facilitating land purchases for the Benazir family and termed the ACC case politically motivated.

Regarding the allegations, KMP Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Hasan told Prothom Alo that he has not yet received any formal complaint against Taimur Islam.

Speaking on the issue of transfer orders, he said he was not aware of any “stand release” situation. However, he added that if any officer misuses personal position for irregularities, corruption or influence, it is certainly unlawful and must be addressed.

On allegations of links with criminal groups, the commissioner said he had also heard such claims. However, he noted that speaking to someone on the phone does not automatically constitute criminal association. He also said he does not agree with the notion that a police inspector could exert influence over senior officials through money or pressure.

The investigation into Khulna’s criminal underworld has also found evidence of alleged collusion between members of law enforcement agencies, criminal gangs and political actors at various levels.

Apart from Taimur Islam, allegations of involvement in criminal activities have been found against at least 17 police officers, including an officer-in-charge of a station under the southern division of KMP.

Four officers from Labanchara police station and its outposts were accused of collecting “tips” from factories and other establishments during Eid. Following the allegations, they were attached to the police lines on 18 March by order of the KMP commissioner.

Most recently, on 5 June, KMP Sub-Inspector Mia Rob was accused of releasing a drug dealer in exchange for money. Following preliminary findings confirming the allegation, disciplinary action against him is underway, according to a KMP source.

The picture emerging from Khulna’s underworld is not limited to a few criminal groups, individual police officers or isolated incidents. The investigation suggests that an organised structure of crime has developed, involving armed criminals, extortion networks, drug operations, political protection and sections of law enforcement agencies.

Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman told Prothom Alo that if crimes are not brought under exemplary control, if the law is not enforced and if those involved are not held accountable, criminal activity gradually becomes normalised.

“Injustice not only sustains crime; when there is patronage from influential groups, political power, administration and parts of law enforcement, it turns into organised crime,” he said.

Iftekharuzzaman added that those who directly commit crimes are only one part of the system; behind them exists a structure of protection, patronage and profit.

According to him, if repeated allegations, internal inquiries and transfer orders against an official do not result in effective action, it reflects not only individual failure but institutional responsibility.

Organised crime cannot be controlled without breaking political and administrative protection networks, he stated. (End)