United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Acting Commissioner Md Sarwar on Thursday stressed the need to strengthen community policing to build a people-friendly police force and ensure that citizens receive their expected legal services from police stations. He made the remarks while addressing senior DMP officials at the monthly crime review meeting for March 2026 held at the DMP headquarters conference room. The acting commissioner said the overall law and order situation in the capital remains stable at present and urged all concerned to remain alert to maintain this stability. He directed police officers to intensify foot patrols and conduct drives to recover drugs and arrest warrant-listed accused. He also instructed them to stay vigilant to prevent any crime within police station jurisdictions. Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operations) S M Md Nazrul Islam said expectations from  people are high and police must work with greater dedication to meet those expectations. He added that a zero-tolerance policy would be followed to maintain law and order. Officials of various ranks of DMP were awarded at the event in different categories in recognition of their good performance in maintaining law and order, controlling crime, and ensuring public safety in Dhaka during March.

In an effort to curb illegal fishing and maintain discipline on waterways across the country, members of the River Police arrested 279 people along with illegal nets and fish from different parts of the country in the past seven days till Thursday. The drives were conducted to protect fisheries resources and ensure security on waterways. During the drives, the river police also seized 43,271,280 metres of illegal nets, 4,158 kilograms of fish, 6,57,000 pieces of shrimp fry, 15,000 bagda shrimp fry and 1,328 kilograms of helly-mixed shrimp. Besides, 133 bush piles were destroyed in rivers during the drives. The River Police also filed cases against 83 bulkheads in naval courts for operating without valid documents. A total of 69 cases were filed during this period, including 46 under fisheries laws, nine for reckless navigation, one under the Balumahal Act, two drug-related cases, one theft case, one under the Special Powers Act and one kidnapping case. Twelve bodies were also recovered during the drives, officials said. The seized illegal nets and jelly-mixed shrimp were destroyed, while the shrimp fry were released in the river while the remaining fish were distributed among orphanages.

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Dr Zahed Ur Rahman on Wednesday said the government is treating recent incidents of mob violence with utmost seriousness and will investigate each case thoroughly, stressing that taking the law into one’s own hand will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Responding to questions from journalists at a briefing at the Press Information Department conference room, he said even if a thief or robber is caught red-handed, people have no right to assault, let alone kill, the suspect. “The government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy in this regard.” The adviser acknowledged that there may have been administrative lapses in some cases, saying those are being reviewed to prevent recurrence. Explaining the nature of such incidents, Zahed said mobs are usually spontaneous and unorganised, but recently there has been a worrying trend of organised gatherings being mobilised to carry out attacks or blockades. “These are not mobs in the true sense, but organised crimes,” he said, adding that action will also be taken against such planned violence. He cited the recent incident of Kushtia, where a self-proclaimed ‘Pir’ was beaten and hacked to death over derogatory remarks about Islam, as an example of a planned act. “A case has already been filed over the incident and suspects have been identified.” The adviser said the government will move forward on cases where there is clear social consensus, adding that authorities are willing to review incidents carried out in the name of mob action during the interim government period. Responding to a question about the recent arrest of a female worker of a political party over a social media post, he said the post contained misleading and objectionable information. However, Zahed admitted that greater caution and clearer guidelines are needed in making arrests. He said the government is planning to form a panel of lawyers to review such cases before arrests are made to ensure proper verification. The adviser also expressed concern over the spread of misinformation and hate speech on social media.      

A suspected serial sexual predator has been arrested in the capital’s Jatrabari area, with police uncovering a disturbing pattern of abuse, blackmail and exploitation involving at least 10 young victims within just six weeks, most of them from Mirpur area. The arrest, made during a probe into a blackmail complaint, has exposed a wider network of crimes targeting women through deception, social media manipulation and coercion. The arrestee was identified as Rashedul Islam Rabbi, 30, who had been living at his in-laws’ house in Siddhirganj of Narayanganj. Tipped off, a special team of Jatrabari Police Station arrested him from Dania College Gate area on April 13. The information was disclosed by Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Wari Division) Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami at a press briefing held at the DMP Media Centre on Wednesday. Briefing reporters, the DC said the investigation began with the arrest of the suspect following a complaint involving blackmail through secretly recorded video of a young woman. However, after the arrest, multiple information emerged. “So far, we have received 10 complaints, while the accused has confessed to 13 incidents,” he said. Police said the modus operandi was nearly identical in all cases. The accused would build trust with victims, then resort to blackmail. In some cases, rape occurred, while in others, victims were pressured using recorded videos. Describing the method, the DC said the accused initially took control of a victim’s mobile phone and gained access to her social media accounts. He then used those accounts to contact other women from the victim’s friend list, gradually building relationships and luring them out with various pretexts. He would sometimes pose as a relative and accompany victims in CNG-run auto-rickshaws or other transport. Victims were typically called to meet near metro stations or in the Bangladesh Secretariat area before being taken to two houses in the Dania College area of Jatrabari – one used during the day and another at night. The accused was eventually arrested from one of these houses. After taking victims to the house, he would seize their phones, take control of their social media accounts, and later sell the devices. These accounts were then used to target new victims. Police said the timeline of the incidents is relatively short, with the first general diary recorded on March 4 and the latest complaint on April 9. Rabbi had no job and earned money through such crimes. He allegedly collected gold ornaments, earrings, mobile phones, cash and even money from victims. Police have so far recovered five mobile phones and believe more may be recovered. DC Sami said many victims initially filed GDs citing lost phones instead of formal complaint due to social stigma. Investigation later helped identify them. Similar GDs were also found at Mirpur Police Station. So far, three cases have been filed against the accused, while three to four GDs remain under investigation. Police are also examining whether he had any associate, although initial findings suggest limited involvement. The accused is believed to be technologically skilled. Police found that each recovered phone belonged to a different victim. Upon contact, several individuals confirmed being victimised. While not all cases involved rape, incidents included blackmail, extortion using pornographic materials, and demands for money in exchange for deleting videos. Most victims are aged between 18 and 20, police said. Investigators also found that the accused married his wife using the same method and was once caught attempting similar acts at his in-laws’ house. Police have urged anyone with relevant information or similar complaint to come forward.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested seven people including suspected mastermind Moin Uddin on extortion charge at CKD Hospital in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area. The other arrestees are Sumon, Liton, Falan Mia, Rubel, Swapan Kazi, and Shawon Hossain Major M Mubin Rahman Tapos, Company Commander of RAB-2, said the incident which took place on April 11 drew widespread media attention after reports of extortion at the hospital surfaced. Acting on the information, a RAB-2 team rushed to CKD Hospital around 1:40 am, spoke with the complainant, Dr Kamrul and collected CCTV footage from the scene. They also obtained the phone number of the prime suspect, Moin Uddin. Following the initial investigation, multiple RAB units conducted coordinated drives to detain those involved. The main accused, Moin Uddin, 42, was arrested by RAB-6 from  Kalia thana area of Narail district. Based on the findings of the investigating officer, RAB-2 arrested suspect Suoan from Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Another associate of Moin, named Liton, was also arrested from the same area. In separate operations, RAB-4 arrested four more suspects—Falan Mia, Rubel, Swapan Kazi, and Shaon Hossain.  

An alleged key figure in the teen gang crime scene, known as ‘Alex Iman’ (presumably an alias), was killed in a clash between two rival groups over territorial dominance in the capital’s Mohammadpur area on Sunday afternoon. The incident occurred around 4:30pm on the slope of the Beribadh road in the Rayerbazar Boddhijibi area under Mohammadpur Police Station, said Jewel Rana, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Tejgaon Division. Police said Iman, described as the leader of the ‘Alex Group’ and an accused in multiple cases including murder, was critically injured during the clash. He was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment at the emergency department. Following the incident, members of Rayerbazar Police Outpost conducted a drive and arrested three suspects from the spot.

Police arrested three people along with fake currency worth Tk 50 lakh from Gulshan area in the capital on Sunday. The arrestees were Md Abu Hanif Palowan, 50, Rezaul Sheikh, 40, and Abdullah Mazumdar Ashik, 24. DMP's Deputy commissioner (Media) NM Nasiruddin said a team of police conducted a drive around 3:20 pm on Gulshan Road No. 36 based on secret information and arrested the trio. During the drive police recovered fake notes amounting to Tk 50 lakh and a private car from their possession, he added. During initial interrogation, the suspects admitted to being involved in the counterfeit currency business for a long time. Legal action against the accused is underway, police said.  

Experts on Sunday urged the government to reduce the number of cigarette price tiers, introduce a specific tax system and hike the prices of all tobacco products in the upcoming 2026-27 national budget. They made the suggestions during a journalists' workshop titled "Tobacco Tax and Price Measures: Budget 2026-27" held at the BMA Bhaban in the capital. Organized jointly by research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA), the workshop was attended by 28 journalists from different print, television and online media outlets. During the workshop, the experts said that users of low and medium tier cigarettes, mostly the poor and working class, constitute the majority of total cigarette smokers. Merging the low and medium tiers into a single tier with a price hike would effectively encourage the low income demographic to quit and discourage youth from getting hooked on tobacco addiction. The proposals presented during the workshop for the FY 2026-27 national budget are as follows: The low and medium tier should be merged into one, and the price for TK10 sticks of the merged tier should be set at TK 100. The retail price of high-tier cigarettes should be increased to TK 150 from existing TK 140 for 10 sticks. The prices for 10 sticks of premium cigarettes should be raised to TK 200 from existing TK 185. The supplementary duty (SD) on all cigarette tiers should remain at the existing 67 percent. Besides, the government should introduce TK 4 per 10 sticks as a specific tax. The budget proposals also suggest retaining 15 percent VAT on the retail prices of tobacco products and continuing the existing 1 percent health development surcharge (HDS). In support of the proposals, speakers informed that budget proposals for FY 2026-27 placed by anti-tobacco organizations, if realized, can generate more than TK 85 thousand crore in tobacco tax revenue, representing an additional TK 44 thousand crore compared with the current fiscal year. Implementation of such proposals, in the long run, will also help prevent the premature deaths of 370,000 Bangladeshis, including nearly 185,000 youths. It would also encourage nearly 500,000 adults to abstain from smoking and discourage around 372,000 youths from lighting up. The discussants in the workshop include Mr. Sazzadur Rahman, Deputy Editor, The Business Standard; Mr. Mortuza Haider Liton, Convener, ATMA; Ms. Nadira Kiron and Mr. Mizan Chowdhury, both Co-convener, ATMA; Mr. Hasan Shahrear , Head of Programs, PROGGA and  ABM Zubair, Executive Director, PROGGA.

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman on Sunday said the repealed ordinances issued during the interim government will be reviewed through proper scrutiny. He alleged that opposition leaders are misleading people over the issue. He made the remarks at a press conference at the Home Ministry regarding 133 ordinances issued during the interim government period and later placed before the Jatiya Sangsad. The Law Minister said seven repealed ordinances would be reviewed in due course. “These ordinances need to be examined. We have committed to reviewing them through necessary amendments,” he said. He also rejected claims that the ordinances had been allowed to lapse, saying those making such statements were misleading the public. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Chief Whip Nurul Islam were also present at the briefing.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Acting Commissioner Md Sarwar on Sunday said extensive security measures have been taken to ensure that people from all walks of life can celebrate the Bengali New Year peacefully. There is no intelligence information indicating any militant threat centering the Pahela Baishakh celebrations and law enforcement agencies remain fully prepared to respond to any situation. He made the remarks while responding to questions at a press briefing at a temporary DMP control room in Ramna Park area in the capital. The DMP acting commissioner said the entire Dhaka Metropolitan area has been divided into nine sectors and 14 sub-sectors for effective security management. A large number of police personnel both in uniform and plainclothes will be deployed in each area. Specialised units including dog squads and bomb disposal teams will conduct sweeping operations at key venues. Fourteen security checkpoints with barricades will be set up in areas including Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, and Dhaka University and cisitors will be screened using archways and handheld metal detectors at entry points. Surveillance will be strengthened through CCTV cameras, video and still cameras, and drones. Observation towers will be installed, rooftops will be monitored, and special forces will also be deployed, he added. To prevent eve-teasing, mugging, and pickpocketing, plainclothes teams will remain active, while additional monitoring systems will be in place to control unauthorised hawker entry. The commissioner also said cyber patrolling has been intensified to prevent the spread of rumours and misinformation on social media. The traditional Chhayanaut programme at Ramna Batamul will be held from 6:15am to 8:25am with designated entry and exit gates including separate gates for men, women, and performers. Organised by the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University, Baishakhi Shobhajatra will begin at 9am and follow a route from the faculty through Shahbagh, TSC, and Doel Chattar before returning to the starting point. The entire procession route will remain under strict security and all programmes must conclude by 6pm. After 5pm, all gates of Ramna Park will be used only for exit, and no further entry will be allowed. Regarding traffic management, the DMP said vehicular movement will be diverted in Shahbagh and adjoining areas from 5am on April 14. Barricades will be placed at 14 key points, including Banglamotor, Kakrail, the High Court area, and Nilkhet, and commuters have been advised to use alternative routes. Designated parking arrangements will be available at selected locations while emergency services, including fire service units, ambulances, medical teams, and naval police divers, will remain on standby. The DMP assistant commissioner requested everyone to assist law enforcement agencies and report any suspicious activity to the national emergency helpline 999 or the DMP control room.