Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested 488 people during a 24-hour operation across the capital as part of its ongoing efforts to curb crime and maintain public order. Police also filed 55 cases during the period and seized firearms, ammunition, drugs and other items believed to be connected with criminal activities.
On Tuesday, 18 August, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Niaz Mehedi confirmed the details to the media.
According to police, the arrests were made in raids conducted across different police station areas of Dhaka. The Mirpur division recorded the highest number of arrests, with 153 people detained. Motijheel followed with 61 arrests, while 59 people were arrested in the Tejgaon division.
Among the other metropolitan divisions, 49 people were arrested in Gulshan, 47 in Wari, 41 in Uttara, 33 in Lalbagh and 30 in Ramna. The Detective Branch arrested 10 people, while the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, which handles terrorism and militancy-related investigations, arrested five.
The operations also resulted in the recovery of a range of weapons and other materials. Police seized two foreign-made pistols, two magazines and 12 rounds of ammunition. Officers also recovered a switchblade, two pairs of handcuffs and a toy pistol.
The anti-narcotics drives produced significant seizures as well. Police recovered 11 kilograms of cannabis and 16,222 yaba tablets. Other items seized during the operations included an electronic tracker, two walkie-talkies, a weighing scale, 19 mobile phones and 28 subscriber identity module cards belonging to different mobile operators.
Police also recovered Tk 1,400 in cash and rescued one victim during the operations. The authorities said the recovered weapons, drugs and other materials had been seized as evidence and would be dealt with according to the relevant legal procedures.
The police said the raids were planned on the basis of information about the nature of crimes and suspected criminal activity in different parts of the capital. Investigators are expected to examine the source of the seized weapons and narcotics, as well as the individual roles of those arrested, where necessary.
Legal proceedings against the detainees are under way at the relevant police stations. The cases will now proceed through investigation and other statutory procedures, with the seized materials potentially serving as evidence.
Regular enforcement operations are a key part of efforts to tackle street crime, illegal weapons and narcotics in a densely populated city such as Dhaka. The latest arrests also highlight the scale of policing required across the capital’s eight metropolitan divisions and specialised units. At the same time, effective investigation, proper evidence collection and due process will remain essential to ensuring that arrests lead to legally sustainable cases and appropriate action against those found responsible.
