A man sentenced to life imprisonment under the Narcotics Control Act has been arrested after spending 14 years on the run, eluding law enforcement by constantly shifting identities and hiding in various regions across Bangladesh.

Officers from the Special Response Battalion (SRB) brought the long evasion to an end late on Friday night, 25 September, when an operational team launched a raid in Padmamansa village, located in the Kunjerhat region of Bhola district’s Borhanuddin sub-district. The arrested fugitive, 40-year-old Md Lokman Hossain, is the son of Tofazzal Hossain Howlader and a native of the area where he was eventually detained.

The origin of the case traces back to 2012, when police registered a major narcotics case against Hossain at the Magura Sadar Police Station. Following a thorough investigation and trial, the court found him guilty of serious drug trafficking offences and handed down a sentence of life imprisonment. However, anticipating the harsh conviction, Hossain fled before the tribunal could formally deliver its judgment.

His disappearance meant the court sentence remained unexecuted for over a decade. In response, the judicial authorities issued a formal non-bailable arrest warrant against him. The warrant officer subsequently submitted an official requisition to the Commanding Officer of SRB-8, requesting elite intervention to trace the fugitive.

Upon receiving the directive, SRB-8’s Bhola camp initiated a targeted covert investigation. Officers deployed advanced electronic surveillance, cross-referencing technological tracking with real-time field intelligence to pin-point Hossain’s local hideout. Under cover of darkness, the assault team moved into Padmamansa and took the suspect into custody without resistance.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Walid Hasan Mithu, media officer for SRB-8, confirmed the successful capture, stating that legal proceedings were actively underway to enforce the court’s original judgment. Narcotics enforcement remains a strict priority for law enforcement, particularly cases involving large-scale operations and high-profile absconders.

Hossain has since been handed over to the Borhanuddin Police Station. Local police authorities are processing the court records and warrant documentation to facilitate his immediate transfer to a state penal facility, where he will begin serving his life sentence.