Bogura Police Raid Remote Riverbank Hideout to Arrest Gang Leaders

BOGURA — In a targeted special operation, the District Intelligence Branch (DB) of the police has successfully dismantled a clandestine criminal hideout nestled in a remote, jungle-covered area along the banks of the Karatoya River in Bogura Sadar Upazila.

The raid, conducted at the border of the Thengamara area, resulted in the arrest of three individuals, including the alleged ringleaders of the notorious “Roki-Rakib” gang. During the operation, law enforcement authorities seized an array of illegal items, including a foreign-made revolver, sharp domestic weapons, a substantial quantity of narcotics, illicit cash proceeds, and a high-voltage electrical device allegedly utilised for torturing victims.

Strategic Hideout in the Wilds

According to sources within the DB police, the syndicate had been operating from a secluded enclave hidden behind a paper mill on the banks of the Karatoya River. The gang had erected temporary shelters using tents and polythene sheets to evade detection, transforming the dense terrain into a base for multi-faceted criminal operations. Investigators revealed that the syndicate was actively engaged in drug trafficking, abductions, extortion, and systemic intimidation.

The targeted operation was executed following precise intelligence under the direct guidance and supervision of Superintendent of Police Mirza Sayem Mahmud. As detective forces moved in to surround the encampment, several gang members attempted to flee. While three key suspects were apprehended on-site, an estimated five to seven accomplices managed to escape by swimming across the Karatoya River.

Arms, Narcotics, and Torture Equipment Seized

A thorough search of the makeshift hideout yielded significant evidence of organised criminal activity. Police recovered a foreign revolver, three Chinese axes, a sharp cleaver, several local weapons, a large consignment of narcotics, and cash generated from drug sales.

Most notably, officers confiscated a 25,000-volt electric stunner. Investigating officers stated that this high-powered device was routinely employed to inflict severe physical torture on abducted individuals to extort ransoms from their families.

Inspector Iqbal Bahar, Officer-in-Charge of the District Intelligence Branch, confirmed that the principal suspects, Roki and Rakib, are hardened offenders with extensive criminal records involving arms offences, drug peddling, and illegal possession of Phensedyl. Preliminary investigations indicate that after securing bail in previous cases, the duo retreated to the inaccessible riverbank terrain to re-establish their criminal enterprise away from public view and conventional police patrols.

Law enforcement agencies have intensified their search operations in the surrounding regions to track down and apprehend the fleeing gang members. Authorities maintained that further legal proceedings and formal charges are currently underway.