Top criminals have become active again in different areas of the capital. They are engaging in turf wars to dominate the criminal underworld and are clashing with political party leaders and activists in several areas. These conflicts have resulted in multiple attacks, including murders.
In the past two months alone, top terrorists have been implicated as the masterminds behind three murders in Dhaka. Law enforcement officials report that these criminals and their associates are involved in attacks, assaults, illegal occupation, and extortion in at least eight areas.
Notably, they remain active in Moghbazar, Motijheel, Badda, and Gulshan. In some places, these terrorists and their groups are operating as hired muscle for others.
Most recently, BNP leader Kamrul Ahsan (Sadhan) was shot dead in the Gudaraghat area of Badda on Sunday night. A turf war between two criminal gangs over control of cable TV and internet connections and extortion rackets led to the murder.
Associates of top criminal Subrata Bain have been linked to the crime. Earlier, on 19 April, Arif Sikder, a Ward-level Jubo Dal member, was shot and stabbed to death in Hatirjheel. Law enforcement believes Subrata Bain orchestrated this murder as well, in a bid to expand his influence in Hatirjheel, Moghbazar, and surrounding areas.
On Tuesday, joint forces arrested four individuals—including top terrorists Subrata Bain and Molla Masud—from a house in Kushtia town.
Earlier, police had arrested two suspects, Md. Miraj and Md. Anik, in connection with Arif’s murder. RAB also arrested shooter Mahfuzur Rahman (Bipu), another accused in the same case. RAB confirmed that Bipu is a close associate of Subrata Bain.
Just days before these incidents, Md. Rajan—a BNP member from Ward 36 of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC)—was seriously injured in a brutal attack on 13 March.
He was hacked inside a clubhouse near Wireless Railgate in Moghbazar, and his head was crushed. Although left for dead, Rajan survived after receiving medical treatment.
Investigators have traced this attack back to Subrata Bain and Molla Masud. Both Masud and shooter Bipu have been named in the case filed at Hatirjheel Police Station.
On 11 May, Rajan told Prothom Alo, “There was a dispute with a group over earnings from garbage collection. They entered the club and opened fire. The bullet didn’t hit me, but they struck me with a switchgear knife and smashed my head with glass shards. These terrorists work for money—I know them.”
Following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August last year amid a student-led uprising, the law and orders system collapsed. This created a vacuum that the top terrors quickly exploited.
At least six top criminals were released on bail. They include Abbas Ali of Mirpur—infamously known to law enforcement as ‘Killer Abbas’—Sheikh Mohammad Aslam alias Sweden Aslam of Tejgaon, Imamul Hasan Helal alias Picchi Helal of Mohammadpur, and Sanjidul Islam alias Emon from Hazaribagh.
Also freed were two infamous names from Dhaka’s criminal circles: Khandaker Naeem Ahmed alias Titon and Khorshed Alam alias Rasu alias Freedom Rasu. Most of them had been in prison for over a decade.
Since 5 August, many previously underground figures have resurfaced and resumed their operations openly. Law enforcement also has information that some criminals have fled abroad, while others have returned from overseas to restart their activities.
Their names are now resurfacing in cases involving extortion, tender manipulation, and seizure of businesses and properties. These activities have instilled fear in many neighbourhoods.
Mohammad Nasirul Islam, Joint Commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told Prothom Alo, “To curb criminal activities, the DB is conducting area-based surveillance and identifying these terrorists and their networks. As a result, crime operations have declined significantly. We are prioritising cases in which the names of top terrorists are being mentioned and are conducting targeted raids accordingly.”
Criminals engaged in deadly turf wars
In the wake of recent political changes, top criminal figures are reasserting dominance across various areas of Dhaka by spreading fear and engaging in violent turf wars.
According to reliable sources, these groups are engaging in murder, assault, and intimidation to have control over land and property, Eid-ul-Azha cattle markets, cable TV and broadband internet operations, and extortion rackets.
Multiple incidents of gunfire have recently rocked the Moghbazar–Hatirjheel area. Law enforcement sources report that one of the gangs operating in the area is attempting to smuggle illegal firearms across the border. Rival factions have resorted to killing each other in their deadly competition for territorial control.
Investigators probing the murder of Arif Sikder—a member of the BNP’s youth wing, Jubo Dal—believe the killing is linked to a violent power struggle between two notorious crime lords, Subrata Bain and fugitive gangster Jisan Ahmed, who is currently hiding in Dubai.
Arif was reportedly affiliated with the BNP faction in Hatirjheel, Moghbazar, and Rampura that maintains ties with Jisan. Sources suspect that Arif’s murder was orchestrated by Subrata Bain’s associates in a bid to consolidate control over the area.
In another recent incident on 14 May, a top criminal identifying himself as Molla Masud called a private bank officer and issued threats over the phone.
A general diary (GD) was filed at the Tejgaon Industrial Area police station. The officer told Prothom Alo that the caller demanded extortion money and claimed affiliation with Subrata Bain’s gang.
Control over garbage collection has also become a point of contention. In October last year, services in the Mohakhali and Niketan areas—such as waste collection, street sweeping, and drain cleaning—were suspended for four days between 21 and 24 October following threats and a series of attacks. These were reportedly linked to top criminal Bikash Kumar Biswas.
During the Awami League government, local ward councillor Md Nasir oversaw garbage collection in Ward 20 under the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC). After the government’s fall on 5 August, local BNP leaders assumed control. Around this time, a person claiming to be Bikash called the contracted service provider and ordered the suspension of garbage collection. When the order was disregarded, several violent attacks ensued.
Bikash, a long-time figure in Dhaka’s underworld, has been accused in multiple murder and extortion cases, including a double murder in Agargaon and the killing of a Chhatra League leader, Zorip.
He was arrested by the Detective Branch of police in 1997 and spent 12 years in prison before securing bail in 2009 and fleeing abroad. Law enforcement sources allege that he now oversees organised crime operations in various areas of Dhaka from overseas.
New gang emerges in Gulshan, Badda
Two notorious figures from Motijheel’s underworld—Jafar Ahmed Manik and Jisan Ahmed—have resurfaced in intelligence reports, though both are currently believed to be fugitives abroad. Among them, Jisan has been repeatedly linked to criminal operations in Badda and eastern Dhaka, including murder, land grabbing, and extortion.
According to law enforcement sources, in addition to Jisan’s network, four other criminal groups are currently most active in the Badda and Gulshan areas. These are led by Subrata Bain, Mehedi, Robin, and a Badda-based figure named Helal Uddin.
Criminals remain out of reach and in hiding
Criminals released on bail or hiding in secret locations have begun reappearing in public and asserting their presence in various ways. Top gangster Subrata Bain was among them.
On 29 September last year, Subrata suddenly appeared at the Bishal Center in Moghbazar, causing panic among shop owners. News of his presence quickly spread, and since then, his name has been repeatedly linked to incidents of extortion, murder, and assault in the area.
On 16 May, posters demanding justice for the murder of Arif Sikder appeared on the walls of alleys in Moghbazar and Hatirjheel. The posters read: “We demand justice for the murder of Arif Sikder, an active member of Ward 36, Hatirjheel Thana Jubo Dal.”
The posters were signed by Ward 36 Jubo Dal, Hatirjheel Thana, Dhaka Metropolitan North.
On 25 December, 2001, Subrata Bain was named among 23 top criminals declared by the then-government. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced a reward for information leading to his capture. An Interpol red notice is still in effect against him. According to that notice, Subrata Bain is now 56 years old.
Yesterday, Subrata Bain was arrested in a raid near Sonar Bangla Mosque in the Kalishankarpur area of Kushtia town. Along with him, top criminal Molla Masud and four others were also detained. While Subrata has now been caught, other active criminals in Moghbazar, Motijheel, Badda, and Gulshan remain out of reach.
Intelligence officials report that Mehedi is currently residing in the United States, while Robin is based in Malaysia. Robin’s brother, Mahbub, is reportedly attempting to assert control over local extortion activities in their absence. Helal Uddin, originally from North Badda, now lives mostly in Nawra, Rupganj (in Narayanganj district) to avoid arrest, although he is occasionally spotted in Gulshan.
Badda police station officer-in-charge Saiful Islam of told Prothom Alo, “None of the top criminals are visibly present in the area. We are therefore focusing on arresting their local associates, which has brought some degree of control over the situation.”
Despite these efforts, violence has continued. On the night of 20 March, Suman Mia—also known as Teli Suman—was shot dead at point-blank range on a road near Police Plaza in Gulshan.
Investigations later revealed that he was working for a criminal gang while posing as a cable and broadband internet service provider. Suman was affiliated with the Robin group, which is active in the Badda–Gulshan region.
Suman had a prior criminal record. In September 2023, he was arrested in Badda with a foreign-made pistol, bullets, and a magazine. On 17 January, shortly after being released on bail in another extortion-related shooting case, he was murdered.
Two suspects have since been arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in connection with the killing.
According to RAB, Suman’s murder was the result of a violent rivalry between the gangs of Mehedi and Robin over control of extortion in Gulshan and Badda.
Mehedi had formed a five-member assassination squad to eliminate Suman. Investigators said that Mehedi’s associate, Wasir Mahmud, was collecting extortion money in the area when Suman began doing the same on behalf of the rival Robin group.
Tensions over control of extortion in Gulshan’s commercial zones—including shopping malls—ultimately led to Suman’s killing, allegedly orchestrated by Wasir on Mehedi’s orders.
Law enforcement officials further noted that top criminal Sheikh Mohammad Aslam, alias Sweden Aslam, has begun to show signs of renewed activity in the Farmgate area and its surroundings.
In Mohakhali, several individuals involved in criminal acts are now claiming to be affiliated with another prominent figure, Imam Hossain, also known for his long-standing criminal record.
Criminals exploited the opportunity
Crime analysts say that top criminals should have been under strict surveillance from the start. That did not happen, and they used this opportunity to carry out one crime after another. If their networks are not brought under control now, the web of crime will only expand. Special attention must be given to those working for these criminals inside the country.
Asked for comment, former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Naeem Ahmed told Prothom Alo, “The cases in which the names of top criminals have surfaced must be investigated swiftly. If the crimes are proven in court, it will be easier to bring them back through Interpol, even if they flee abroad. Surveillance must also be increased on the criminals operating domestically on their behalf.”