Police enlist 3,000 criminals, including 352 shooters, ahead of polls

• Police Headquarters said the list includes 124 militants and 352 ‘shooters’.

• Some of the listed criminals are in jail, some are out on bail, while others are absconding.

• The greatest concern is over militants who are fugitives or evading arrest.

Five days before the national election, clashes broke out on Saturday in Munshikandi area of Munshiganj Sadar upazila between supporters of a Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate and a rebel BNP candidate. Gunshots were fired from both sides during the clash. Police have identified four people, including Ekram Dewan, who were seen firing weapons. Ekram’s name appears on the list prepared by two intelligence agencies as a ‘shooter’. He had not been arrested until Monday.

Dhaka’s notorious top criminal Sheikh Mohammad Aslam, also known as Sweden Aslam, has 22 cases against him, including nine murder cases. After serving nearly 20 years in prison, he was released on bail on 4 September 2024. He later became involved in criminal activities again, and his name has been included in the list as an armed criminal.

On 10 November last year, top criminal Tariq Saif Mamun, whose name was on the police list, was shot dead in public in front of National Medical Institute Hospital in old Dhaka. The killing stemmed from a rivalry with rival criminal Roni over control of the underworld. Roni remains absconding, evading arrest. His name also appears on the list of armed criminals.

Not only Ekram, Sweden Aslam and Roni, but a nationwide list has been prepared of nearly 3,000 armed criminals, shooters and militants, including top criminals Imam ul Hossain, also known as Picchi Helal, top criminal Sanzidul Islam, also known as Iman, S M Arman, Khorshed Alam, also known as Freedom Rasu, and others. To prevent these listed criminals from causing violence during the polls, Police Headquarters has instructed responsible police officers across the country.

Several senior officials at Police Headquarters told Prothom Alo that two intelligence agencies recently prepared a list of 3,000 illegal arms holders and criminals across the country and sent it to Police Headquarters. Among them are 124 militants and 352 ‘shooters’. Ahead of the election, Police Headquarters has issued instructions to the superintendents of police of all 64 districts and the commissioners of eight metropolitan police units to bring the listed criminals to book.

On the evening of 1 February, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) member Ahsan Jahir Khan, 50, was arrested during an operation near the lake at Chandrima Udyan under Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station. His accomplices managed to flee. Based on information provided by Jahir, his associate JMB member Belayet Hossain, 31, was arrested on 2 February, and Tofayel Hossain, 37, was arrested on 3 February.

In this connection, sub-inspector Md Arman Hossain of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station. The case statement said the accused maintained communication through apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram and were planning anti-state sabotage.

According to Police Headquarters sources, individuals who have been involved in various crimes over the past decade, were arrested with weapons, carried out attacks with firearms during the student-led mass movement in July, and were recently seen carrying weapons during political violence have been identified and listed. Many of them are currently in jail. Some are out on bail, while others are absconding.

Sources said these criminals and armed individuals could be used during the elections on behalf of candidates. For this reason, priority has been given to arresting those on the list who are absconding. Those on bail have been instructed to be kept under surveillance. Authorities have also been asked to keep track of those who are already in jail. The listed criminals face cases involving murder, extortion, abduction, illegal occupation and possession of illegal arms.

Asked about the matter, Police Headquarters spokesperson and assistant inspector general AHM Shahadat Hossain told Prothom Alo that surveillance is being carried out on risky individuals based on prior criminal records and intelligence information to prevent election violence and sabotage. He said the process is non-political, completely neutral, preventive and lawful, and the sole objective is to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election.

Police officials said the main concern for a fair election is now fugitive militants and those evading arrest. Several police officials expressed fears that they could carry out sabotage to seize control of polling centres.

According to the list, there are 115 armed criminals in the Dhaka metropolitan area and 180 in Chattogram metropolitan area. In addition, there are 42 in Khulna metropolitan area, 40 in Rajshahi metropolitan area, 12 in Barishal metropolitan area, 20 in Gazipur metropolitan area, 90 in Sylhet metropolitan area and 20 in Gazipur metropolitan area. Apart from this, around 2,500 armed criminals have been listed across the 64 districts.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional commissioner for crime and operations S N Md Nazrul Islam told Prothom Alo that police stations and the detective branch are working to arrest armed criminals so that they cannot carry out any violence during the election.

An analysis of the police list shows that the political identities of most armed criminals have not been mentioned. Political identities have been specified for 20 individuals, of whom 19 are leaders or activists of the now banned Awami League and its associate bodies Chhatra League, Jubo League and Swechchhasebak League. The remaining individual is the member secretary of Khulshi thana Chhatra Dal under Chattogram metropolitan area.

Police data show that 15 murders have taken place in Chattogram division in the past 36 days since 1 January this year. Earlier, from October 2024 to November 2025, 15 people were killed in Chattogram division over political disputes over a period of 13 months. Of these, 10 were killed due to internal conflicts within the BNP. Alongside political disputes, killings are also occurring in Chattogram due to conflicts among criminal groups.

Asked about the overall situation, inspector general of police (IGP) Baharul Alam said that lists of people with illegal arms and criminals are being received in phases and sent across the country with instructions to take action. He said those on the list pose a general threat, but the major threat to the election comes from the 124 JMB members who are absconding or out on bail. He added that priority is being given to arresting fugitive JMB members.