Most armed shooters remain off police watchlist

Shahidul Islam entered the criminal underworld through theft and robbery before expanding into drug trafficking and building his own armed gang. Once known as the leader of a juvenile gang, he is now one of Chattogram’s most notorious armed criminals. He faces 23 cases involving illegal firearms, extortion, drug trafficking and other offences.

His name appears on a Special Branch (SB) list of “shooters” operating in Chattogram Metropolitan. However, a Prothom Alo investigation has found that many others accused of leading armed gangs, openly displaying firearms and carrying out shootings are absent from the police list.

The investigation identified at least 139 armed criminals across Chattogram city and seven districts of Chattogram Division (excluding the three hill districts and Cox’s Bazar) whose names do not appear on police records. Of them, at least 85 are in Chattogram city alone, despite the police list containing only nine shooters for the metropolitan area.

Overall, police have listed 109 shooters across Chattogram city and the seven districts. That means the investigation uncovered more armed offenders outside the list than those included on it, raising questions about the completeness and effectiveness of the police database.

According to police and local sources, Shahidul Islam, originally from Daulatkhan in Bhola, operated from the city’s Paschim Sholoshahar area. He has been accused of extortion, establishing territorial control, public shootings, running torture cells and drug trafficking. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested him on 21 December last year. Although he remains in prison, several Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) officials said his gang continues to operate in different parts of the city.

The Special Branch compiled a nationwide list of shooters in February this year. It includes the names of 243 individuals, details of their criminal cases and whether they are in custody or out on bail. Of these, 109 are from Chattogram city and the seven districts. Police say the list was prepared to facilitate the arrest of shooters involved in murder, extortion and other serious crimes.

The city list names nine alleged shooters: Mobarak Hossain (alias Iman), Md Raihan, Mohammad Borhan Uddin, Badsha (alias Chhoto Badsha), Md Alauddin, Md Helal (alias Machh Helal), Md Nazrul Islam Sohel, Shahidul Islam and Nure Alam Sohag.

Police and local sources said Borhan Uddin and Nazrul Islam are fugitives after securing bail, while the others are either in prison or moving about openly.

Beyond these nine, Prothom Alo identified another 85 armed criminals in Chattogram Metropolitan who are not on the police list.

Outside the city, the police list includes 100 shooters across seven districts. Noakhali has the highest number, with 33 names, but the investigation identified at least five additional armed suspects who are missing from the list.

Feni came under national attention after numerous photos and videos showing gunfire and public displays of firearms surfaced following the July uprising. Yet police have listed only five armed criminals in the district. The investigation found information on at least 33 more, many widely known locally for carrying weapons, whose names are absent from the list.

Similarly, at least 11 names were missing from the Chattogram district list, while several others were omitted in Cumilla and Brahmanbaria.

Analysis of police records shows that many of these armed criminals have been active for years across Chattogram city and surrounding districts. They are allegedly involved in murder, extortion, tender manipulation and other crimes.

While some are career criminals, others have political affiliations with the BNP or the Awami League. After 5 August 2024, some were also seen alongside activists of the National Citizen Party (NCP), despite previously being associated with the now-banned Awami League.

According to sources, armed criminal groups became even more brazen after the collapse of law and order following the July mass uprising.

Police crime statistics reflect the deteriorating situation. Data published on Police Headquarters’ website show that 390 murder cases were filed across Chattogram and the division’s 11 districts during the first six months of this year, including 27 in Chattogram city.

Sources attribute the killings to extortion, land disputes, family conflicts, drug trafficking, turf wars, factional violence, gang rivalries, personal feuds and political disputes.

In Chattogram district alone, 29 murders were recorded between January and May. A police source said 12 of those occurred within the first 26 days of January.

Most recently, on the night of 8 May, five or six armed men shot Hasan Raju dead in Roufabad under Bayezid Bostami Police Station. Hasan had earlier been accused in the murder case of Jubo Dal activist Nasir Uddin in Rauzan.

Police suspect the killing was carried out in retaliation over previous conflicts.

Several Chattogram businesspeople told Prothom Alo that police know exactly who the armed criminals are and who extorts traders by firing shots at their homes and issuing threats. Yet, they said, law enforcement has failed to arrest them effectively.

Recent incidents support those allegations. Sources said police have yet to arrest those directly responsible for a dramatic shooting at the home of a businessman under police protection on 28 February.

Likewise, police have failed to identify or arrest those involved in the fatal shooting of alleged criminal Sarwar Hossain, alias Babla, during an election campaign event in Chandgaon on 5 November.

Khondaker Rafiqul Islam, additional inspector general (Crime and Operations) at Police Headquarters, told Prothom Alo on 10 May that operations to arrest armed criminals in Chattogram are continuing.

Mobarak Hossain, alias Iman, remains at large despite allegedly committing a string of crimes.

On 9 May, he allegedly called senior correspondent Biplob Dey Partha of Bangla TV at it’s Chattogram office and demanded Tk 5 million in extortion. Biplob, who also serves as acting general secretary of the Janmashtami Celebration Council’s central committee, later filed a general diary with Kotwali Police Station. He told Prothom Alo he has continued to receive death threats after refusing to pay.

The then officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, Aftab Uddin, said on 10 May that police had opened an investigation and were trying to arrest Iman.

Police identify Mobarak as an associate of fugitive criminal Boro Sajjad. He is from Kanchannagar in Fatikchhari. Investigators say photographs show him carrying between 15 and 20 firearms. He faces eight cases involving murder, extortion and illegal weapons but remains beyond police reach.

Another high-profile suspect on the list is Md Raihan, whose name appears on both the city and district lists. He faces 13 cases involving murder and extortion but has also evaded arrest.

Nazrul Islam and Borhan Uddin drew renewed attention after a gunfight in Bakalia on 25 October last year. A local source said Nazrul had served as president of the Tati League in Jangalkhain Union of Patiya, while Borhan was formerly literary secretary of Chattogram city Chhatra Dal’s Chawkbazar unit and is now seeking a position in Jubo Dal.

Police say each faces eight cases involving extortion, drugs and illegal firearms. Party sources said that after 5 August 2024, Borhan and Nazrul identified themselves as followers of former Chattogram city Chhatra Dal president Gazi Siraj Ullah. Siraj denied having any connection with them.

According to sources, Chattogram city mayor and former city BNP president Shahadat Hossain ordered the removal of banners featuring alleged extortionists and criminals using his photograph. After one such banner featuring Shahadat, Siraj and Borhan was torn down by Jubo Dal activist Md Jasim, a group of eight to 10 men allegedly abducted and assaulted him.

When Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal activists went to rescue Jasim, Borhan’s associates allegedly opened fire on them on Bakalia Access Road. Chhatra Dal activist Sajjad was killed. Borhan and Nazrul were later named among the accused in the murder case filed by Sajjad’s father, Mohammad Alam. Police say both men have long been involved in land grabbing, extortion and other criminal activities in Bakalia but remain fugitives.

Nure Alam Sohag, another name on the police list, serves as member secretary of Chhatra Dal’s Khulshi unit. On 12 December 2024, he allegedly led an armed group in a public gunfight in Kazir Dewri, causing panic. Videos of the incident later circulated widely on social media.

He was also accused of firing a pistol publicly at Omar Gani MES College on 18 November that year and of threatening a relative of a senior Chattogram BNP leader by holding a pistol to his head near the Unique Bus Counter at Dampara. Sources said senior BNP leaders later intervened to settle the dispute.

Nure Alam Sohag denied possessing any firearms and rejected allegations that he fired a pistol at Omar Gani MES College. He acknowledged, however, that multiple cases had been filed against him under the Arms Act and other laws.

He is known as a follower of Chattogram city Chhatra Dal member secretary Shariful Islam Tuhin. Tuhin told Prothom Alo on Sunday that Nure Alam Sohag’s inclusion on the police list was politically motivated and that he would raise the matter with police officials.

Asked about photographs of Nure Alam circulating online showing him with firearms, Tuhin said Nure Alam was not involved in such criminal activities.

CMP Commissioner Md Shawkat Ali told Prothom Alo on 10 May that intelligence surveillance had been strengthened to arrest armed criminals in the city and that multiple police teams were working to apprehend those threatening people with murder for extortion.

The names of several notorious armed criminals in Chattogram do not appear on the police watchlist.

One of them is Sajjad Hossain, alias Chhoto Sajjad, a well-known criminal facing 18 cases involving murder, illegal firearms, extortion and assault. He is a close associate of fugitive crime boss Boro Sajjad. Police arrested him from a shopping mall in Dhaka on 15 March last year, and he is currently in prison.

Numerous videos showing Chhoto Sajjad firing weapons in public after failing to collect extortion money have been published by Prothom Alo and other media outlets.

Another omission is Ismail Hossain, alias Tempo. According to a source familiar with the matter, Ismail has been involved in multiple public shootings over extortion demands. The 35-year-old once worked as an assistant to a driver of a three-wheeler locally known as Tempo. He faces 30 criminal cases, including charges of child murder, extortion and robbery, and has been arrested several times.

Originally from Ramganj upazila in Lakshmipur, Ismail grew up in Paschim Faridapara under Chandgaon Police Station in Chattogram. As a teenager, he formed the Tempo Bahini, a gang comprising more than 50 emerging criminals. Many members of the group are armed and are allegedly involved in extortion, robbery and other crimes across the Bayezid Bostami, Panchlaish and Chandgaon police station areas.

Another armed suspect from Chandgaon, Md Munna, is also absent from the police list. On 4 October 2025, he was seen firing shots in front of a garage in the Badurtala area of Panchlaish, with footage later circulating on social media.

Likewise, Md Jahed, who was filmed brandishing a firearm and firing shots in the Hillview area on 12 January 2024, does not appear on the list.

Other alleged armed criminals omitted from the police database include Shamim Azad (alias Black Shamim), Saddam Hossain (alias Golakata Bacha) of Bayezid, Saiful Alam (alias Burma Saiful), his brother Md Sabuj (alias Burma Sabuj), Syedul Karim, Abu Bakkar, Khorshed Alam, Borhan Uddin and Mohammad Hasan. Police and local sources say all of them have at various times been seen displaying firearms and opening fire in public.

Many individuals who openly carried firearms and fired at protesters during the July uprising are also absent from the “shooters” list.

During the protests, activists from the Jubo League and Swechchhasebak League were seen firing on demonstrators in the Muradpur, Bahaddarhat and New Market areas of Chattogram city. Fifteen people were killed in those shootings.

Police later analysed photographs and video footage and identified 46 armed individuals involved in the attacks. Of them, 20 have since been arrested by RAB and the police. However, a comparison with the Special Branch watchlist shows that none of the 46 identified suspects appears on the list.

Sources said Helal Akbar Chowdhury Babar, former deputy finance secretary of the central executive committee of the Jubo League, was photographed holding a pistol in Muradpur on 16 July 2024. The image was widely shared on social media. Babar, known as a close associate of former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, is also missing from the shooters list.

Similarly, the list excludes Md Firoz, who identified himself as a Jubo League leader during the July movement, Md Delwar, an organiser of the Chattogram city Swechchhasebak League, NH Mithu, a Jubo League activist, Md Jafar, and several others who were seen carrying firearms at the time.

Several officers of Chattogram Metropolitan Police questioned why so many notorious armed suspects from the city and surrounding district had been left off the list.

Assistant Commissioner (Media) Aminur Rashid told Prothom Alo that police had already arrested most of the shooters.

Those who are currently in jail may have been excluded from the list for that reason. Whether or not their names appear on the list, police operations to arrest fugitive shooters are continuing, he said.

The police list includes 19 names from Chattogram district, but the investigation identified at least 11 additional armed suspects across various upazilas who are not included.

Former Chattogram Range Deputy Inspector General Md Moniruzzaman told Prothom Alo in May that police were committed to arresting armed shooters.

“We are closely monitoring them on a regular basis, and many have already been arrested,” he said.

Asked why the number of listed names was so low despite the prevalence of illegal armed groups in the Chattogram region, he replied that the database was a work in progress.

Whether or not they are on the list, they remain under surveillance, he said.

The police list identifies 100 suspected shooters across seven districts of the Chattogram division. However, Prothom Alo correspondents found information on 54 additional armed criminals who are not included.

The police ‘shooter’ list includes five people from Feni: Zia Uddin Bablu (35), Md Rezaul Karim Nadim (37), Karimullah Bikom, alias Renchu Karim (57), Mozammel Hossain, alias Masud (36), and Shahidul Islam (32).

However, many well-known and widely identified armed criminals are absent from the list. Local inquiries identified at least 33 more armed individuals, all described as followers of former Feni lawmaker Nizam Hazari.

On 4 and 5 August, 2024, Nizam Hazari and his followers allegedly opened fire on student protesters. On 2 October last year, Prothom Alo published a report titled “Feni’s gunmen remain at large, weapons still unrecovered,” identifying 30 armed men who fired on protesters and published photographs of many of them carrying weapons. None of their names appear on the police list.

According to local sources, Nizam Hazari was once associated with AJM Nasir Uddin, an Awami League leader from Chattogram. He was previously arrested there with firearms and, on 16 August, 2000, was sentenced to seven years in prison under the Arms Act in a case filed with Double Mooring Police Station. Despite serving a sentence in an arms case, his name is also absent from the police list. Hazari fled the country after the July uprising.

Among those seen firing weapons openly on 4 August, 2024, were Lutfur Rahman (Khokon Hazari), organising secretary of the Feni district Jubo League; Kohinur Alam, president of Ward no. 3 Awami League in Feni municipality; Abdur Rouf, general secretary of Kazirbag Union Awami League; and Azgar Fakir, who was seen firing a rifle. Chhatra League leaders identified included district unit president Tofayel Ahmed, general secretary Nur Karim Javed, and activists Arnab and Rakib.

Others allegedly involved in the armed attacks included former Shorshodi Union chairman Jane Alam; former Fazilpur Union chairman Mujibul Haque (Ripon); general secretary of Fulgazi Upazila Awami League Harun Majumdar; general secretary of Chhagalnaiya Upazila Awami League Mejbaul Haider Chowdhury (Sohel); district Jubo League president Didarul Kabir; Daganbhuiyan Upazila Jubo League general secretary Abdullah Al Mamun; organising secretary Saiful Islam (Pitu); district Jubo League commerce affairs secretary Anwar Hossain; Ward No. 17 Jubo League president Sohel (Black Sohel); Sonagazi Jubo League general secretary Nurul Islam (Bhuttu); Feni municipal Jubo League president Rafiqul Islam and general secretary Iqbal Hossain Bablu; and municipal Jubo League leaders Mohan, Nahiyan, and Sabbir.

Former Feni municipal councillors Saifur Rahman and Abul Kalam (Goru Kalam); president of Ward no. 4 Awami League Shahabuddin; member of Dhalia Union Parishad Nur Nabi; general secretary of Shorshodi Union Chhatra League Shafiqul Islam Samrat; general secretary of Sonagazi Upazila Awami League Rafiqul Islam; and former chairman of Mangalkandi Union Parishad Mosharraf Hossain, were also reportedly seen firing at protesters during the July-August movement.

Yet none of these names appear on the Special Branch (SB) list submitted from Feni.

When asked about the omissions on 2 June, then Feni Superintendent of Police Shafiqul Islam, who has since been transferred, told Prothom Alo that SB matters were “highly confidential.”

He said he had not received information on the armed suspects during his tenure, although the district police had information on some of them.

Although the former police chief distanced himself from responsibility, the district SB operates under his command, with a designated additional superintendent of police overseeing the unit.

Speaking to Prothom Alo yesterday, Additional Superintendent of Police (DSB) Md Saiful Islam said police had identified 26 Awami League leaders and activists who allegedly used firearms to attack protesters during the July movement, and that list had been sent from Feni to Police Headquarters.

In Noakhali, local inquiries identified at least five armed individuals in Companiganj Upazila whose names are absent from the police list. They are Md Russell, a ward councillor of Basurhat municipality, Shahid Ullah Russell, Shahadat Hossain Sahed, Faisal Ahmed Jisan, and Raju, alias Raju Khan. A video showing Shahid Ullah Russell carrying a firearm previously circulated on social media.

According to local police sources, the men are members of the group loyal to Abdul Quader Mirza, the controversial former mayor of Basurhat municipality in Companiganj. They were seen openly displaying firearms during violent clashes between two rival factions of the Awami League in 2021 and 2022. The fighting left local journalist Md Muzakkir and Sramik League leader Ala Uddin dead.

Speaking to Prothom Alo last month, Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) Abu Tayyab Mohammad Arif Hossain said he could not say whether any names had been omitted from the list in specific areas. He added that police had collected information on armed criminals in every upazila of the district and that operations against them were continuing.

The political affiliations of several people included on the police list are also known. Abul Kalam Azad was once a member of the Jatiya Party before joining the Awami League. He is now seen with leaders and activists of the National Citizen Party (NCP). He faces multiple criminal cases, including murder, at Hatiya Police Station.

Md Kamal is affiliated with the Awami League, while Md Hridoy is associated with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Yusuf Member, who was formerly linked to the Awami League and now belongs to the NCP, also faces multiple criminal cases.

Asked why individuals previously associated with the Awami League had joined NCP, Shamsut Tibriz, convener of the NCP’s Hatiya upazila unit, told Prothom Alo that the men had been armed by former Awami League lawmaker Mohammad Ali and used to carry out various criminal activities.

He said they had returned to normal life after the Awami League lost power and had been accepted into the NCP because they were no longer involved in criminal activities.

In Brahmanbaria, the police list names 18 alleged armed criminals. However, it does not include Shakil Sikder, alias "Lion," who drew attention after a public shooting in the Kandipara area of Brahmanbaria town in November last year. Video footage showed him firing a gun.

He was later detained by India's Border Security Force (BSF) while attempting to flee across the border and was handed back to Bangladesh following a flag meeting between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the BSF. Earlier, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) had arrested him with three foreign-made pistols and ammunition. Despite this, Shakil's name does not appear on the police list.

Brahmanbaria Superintendent of Police Shah Abdur Rauf told Prothom Alo that police maintain a list of armed criminals, but it cannot be made public for security reasons. He said police are regularly conducting operations to arrest suspects on the list, including those linked to firearms-related incidents in the district.

In Lakshmipur, the police list contains six names: AKM Salah Uddin (Tipu), Khorshed Alam, Kawsar, alias Chhoto Kawsar, Rahat Hossain (Babu), Riaz, alias Chita, and Abdul Khalek. Among them, AKM Salah Uddin (Tipu), former president of the district Jubo League, is the son of the late Abu Taher, the former mayor of Lakshmipur municipality.

According to police sources, on 4 August, the day before the Awami League government fell, Tipu allegedly opened fire from the roof of his home during the anti-government protests, injuring several people.

The police list includes six names from Cumilla, a district comprising 17 upazilas, raising questions about whether it reflects the actual number of armed criminals. Several well-known figures are missing.

For example, on 5 November 2022, gunfire and crude bomb explosions occurred outside Cumilla Town Hall during the Awami League's city conference. A video of the incident showed party activist Mehedi Hasan firing a weapon while another man, Simanta, was seen loading ammunition into a firearm.

Earlier, on 26 August 2023, a BNP workers' meeting in Lalmai Upazila came under attack. Video footage from the incident showed Abad Hossain, a member of the South District Jubo League; Naim Hossain, a Jubo League activist; and Mahmud Hossain, a Chhatra League activist, carrying firearms. Another well-known figure, Mostafa Moniruzzaman, alias "Banduk Jewel," a Jubo League leader from Chauddagram, was known locally for openly carrying weapons. None of their names appear on the police list.

Asked about the list, Cumilla Superintendent of Police Anisuzzaman told Prothom Alo that it is confidential and cannot be discussed with the media. He added that the list of armed criminals is continuously updated and is not static.

Experts say the new government, which took office in February, needs accurate intelligence to maintain law and order, making such lists critically important. They argue that any list of suspected armed criminals should be compiled only after thorough verification to ensure that no innocent person is included while no notorious offender is left out.

Sakhawat Hossain, former chair of the Department of Criminology at the University of Chittagong, told Prothom Alo that if the list is inaccurate, it indicates a fundamental flaw from the outset.

If the list is incomplete, law enforcement operations will also be incomplete, he said. As a result, armed criminals, extortionists and offenders with political patronage will remain beyond the reach of the authorities, he added.

He also said that if the list is found to be flawed, those responsible for compiling it should be held accountable to help prevent similar shortcomings in the future.

*Prothom Alo correspondents in Cumilla, Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Feni helped file this report.