Joint police commissioner (operation) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Biplab Kumar Sarkar has issued a warning to his fellow officers, saying the highest punishment awaits any policeman  found guilty of  ‘arrest business’ - denoting the corrupt process by which arrests or even release can be bought with money. 

“Since the day the block raid was ordered, everyone has been warned about ‘arrest business’. If any such allegation is received, not only the responsible policeman will be withdrawn, but the highest legal action will be taken against him,” Biplab Kumar said while talking to reporters at DMP headquarters.

Replying to a question about whether police are embarrassed over the video footage of the shootings they were involved in, the DMP joint commissioner said “Every incident must be judged. If our member is fired, in the context which he fired will be reviewed. Fair investigation of every case will be ensured. So that the question does not arise that the police are biased in the case.”

Asking about the detention of general students, Biplab, said there is no scope to arrest general students, people and innocent people. “Senior officers of DMP were deployed in the block raid to ensure that the innocent people should not be harassed by the police. But there is no scope to spare any people involved in any offence.”

Police have set a target to those attackers or the Jamaat-Shibir syndicate and BNP criminals who carried out attacks on the Metro Rail, Setu Bhaban, Toll Plaza and set fire on different vehicles and police are working after citing the video and CCTV camera footage, he said.

So far, 268 cases have been filed in 50 police stations in the recent violence in Dhaka city and a total of 2850 people were arrested, he added.

He also assured that police will perform a neutral role and the DMP Commissioner will monitor it.