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Anti-graft drive gets tougher

Notorious criminals on the run


Published : 05 Oct 2019 09:07 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 05:38 PM

The latest crackdown launched on extortionists, tender manipulators and casino kingpins shook the underworld of Dhaka, Chattrogram and other metropolitan cities.

Resultantly, the operators of underworld and their associates are either on run or are now in hiding after the crackdown, sources in different law enforcement agencies said.

Police obtained vital and sensational information about notorious criminals from the arrested GK Shamim and Jubo League leader Khalid Mahmud Bhuiyan during interrogation.

Besides, the latest arrest news of Zeesan , country's one of the most wanted top terrors, panic is running high among the underworld criminals. As most of the notorious criminals who control Dhaka’s underworld are staying at different foreign countries, different law enforcement and intelligence agencies continued to maintain constant communication with Interpol to know their whereabouts and arrest them as well.

Besides, law enforcers also are conducting raid to net the disciples of underworld operators.

“The panic has already started griping the underworld criminals as we have extracted vital and sensational information about their activities. We are expecting some underworld dons to be netted soon,” a high up of police department said on Saturday.

The official said following the crackdown of different law enforcement agencies, many gangsters in capital Dhaka and other metropolitan cities including Chattogram went into hiding.

“We are trying to know who rules the underworld of Dhaka and other metropolitan cities today and where do they conduct their business from?” the official said.

The members of law enforcement and intelligence agencies have already obtained a ‘detailed information’ about notorious criminals about how and in what way they control Dhaka’s underworld from abroad.

Based on information given by GK Shamim and Khalid Mahmud Bhuiyan, the law enforcement agencies especially police detected the whereabouts of Zeesan.

After obtaining the information about Dhaka and other metropolitan cities’ underworld operators, different members of law enforcement agencies intensified crackdown throughout the country.

On the other hand, the underworld operators are now rushing to lobby influential ruling party members to save their hinds or to flee the country.

But as per the high command’s directive, the members of different law enforcement agencies are hard lining against the underworld operators and their associates.

As a result, no influential leaders who used to get huge amount of money from the underworld operators, dare to approach the high command of the government for their safety’s sake.

Apart from the underworld operators, the notorious criminals in the city have also been brought under intelligence surveillance.

Besides, the law enforcement agencies have also launched a manhunt to net the disciples of underworld operators.

“Police and other law enforcement agencies are raiding suspected hideouts of the disciples of underworld operators. These notorious criminals used to execute orders which came from top terrorists residing here and abroad,” another official of intelligence branch said.

Members of Special Branch of Police are also working to trace the whereabouts of the listed terrorists, now absconding in different foreign countries.

The law enforcement agencies are also updating the list of top terrorists which will be sent to Interpol for their arrest.

On December 27, 2001, the then BNP-led four-party alliance government announced a list of 23 most wanted criminals, including Mollah Masud, and also declared bounties for information leading to their arrest.

Other listed top terrors included Kala Jahangir, Prokash Kumar Biswas, Subrata Bain, Abdul Hannan alias Pichchi Hannan, Liakat Hossain Liakat, his brother Kamrul Hasan Hannan, Amin Rasul Sagar alias Tokai Sagar, Khandakar Titon, Freedom Sohel, Khandakar Tanvirul Islam Joy, Haris Ahmed (Haris), Khorshed Alam (Rasu), Imam Hossain, Jabbar Munna, Kamal Pasha, Moshiur Rahman Kochi, Pichchi Helal, Mohammad Alauddin, Aga Shamim, Arman Khan and Zafar Ahmed Manik.

Of them, Pichchi Hannan was killed in 'crossfire' with Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members in 2004 while Kamal Pasha, Rasu, Titon, Freedom Sohel, Killer Abbas, Liakat, Pichchi Helal, Kochi and Arman are now behind the bars. Nine of the most wanted criminals are yet to be arrested.

Six of them are believed to be hiding in India while Sagar is said to live in Canada and Tanvirul Islam Joy is in Malaysia.

Talking to reporters Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said process to net those who terrorised businessmen in Dhaka, Chattogram and other metropolitan cities between the late 1991s and 1996 and 2001 and 2006 has begun.

After the arrest of Khalid Mahmud Bhuiyan, it was reportedly learned that Zeesan  was running casino business in Bangladesh from Dubai. When asked if he was arrested as part of the anti-casino drive, Kamal said it was not important whether he was involved in casino business or tender manipulation.