Special Response Battalion (SRB) arrested alleged terrorist and juvenile gang leader Srabon alias “Kutta Srabon” and three of his associates from Rupganj in Narayanganj.
The elite Force also recovered a foreign-made pistol, a bullet, a magazine and six machetes from their possessions.
The arrestees are Srabon, 20, and his associates Siam, 20, Dipu, 19, and Kamruzzaman, 19.
Lt Col Mohammad Masud Parvez, commanding officer of SRB-11, disclosed the information at a press conference at the SRB media centre in Karwan Bazar on Wednesday.
He said a special SRB-11 team conducted a drive in Chanpara area of Rupganj around 1am on Tuesday night based on secret information and arrested Srabon and his associates with the arms and ammunition.
According to Masud Parvez, Srabon had long been operating a juvenile gang and a criminal group in Rupganj and adjoining areas, involving teenagers and young people, and creating an atmosphere of disorder.
He said Srabon and his followers were accused of brutally killing fruit trader Rony in Rupganj recently. Following the killing, local residents held human chains and protest programmes demanding Srabon's execution.
The SRB commander said Srabon and his gang also allegedly set fire to the house of case complainant Amena Begum in Tatki area of Tarabo Municipality at night after she refused to withdraw a case against him, in an attempt to burn her to death.
He said the gang also carried out attacks, vandalism and looting at houses when traders and local residents refused to pay extortion.
“Whenever anyone lodged a complaint against his criminal activities with police or law enforcement agencies, Srabon and his gang would directly target the complainant,” Masud Parvez said.
He said the gang would go to the complainant’s house after learning about a complaint and launch attacks, often injuring or disabling victims with sharp weapons.
As an example, he said the gang once attacked a complainant’s house and hacked four members of the same family after a case was filed.
Amena Begum’s house was also attacked after she filed a case, he said, adding that local residents had held a human chain in May accusing Srabon of killing a fruit trader.
Due to fear of his activities, ordinary people were reluctant to lodge complaints against him with police, he said.
Masud Parvez said 18 cases, including murder, attack, arson, abduction, extortion and assault, had been filed against Srabon with police stations in Rupganj and adjoining areas.
He is also the prime accused in the widely discussed Nadim abduction case filed over an incident on Sept 16, he said.
The SRB commander said controlling extortion and drug trading was allegedly Srabon’s main criminal activity in the area.
Srabon had also been arrested in a joint forces operation in 2024, but was released on bail after around six to six and a half months and allegedly became involved in similar criminal activities again, he said.
Describing the gang structure, Masud Parvez said Srabon led one of the two major juvenile gangs in Rupganj, while the other was known as the Nabi group.
Around 50 to 60 members were active under Srabon’s gang and considered him their idol, he said.
To evade arrest, Srabon would not stay in one place and used to hide in different areas on different nights, according to the SRB commander.
Asked about the word “Kutta” in Srabon’s alias, Masud Parvez said the word was also associated with his father’s name and that his father had himself been accused in several cases and was a listed criminal.
Masud Parvez also said a new initiative was being taken to use body cameras during arrest operations so that video footage could be submitted to courts as evidence, making the judicial process against criminals easier and stricter.
The arrestees were handed over to Rupganj Police Station for further legal action, he said.