Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 483 people during special operations conducted across different areas of the capital over the past 24 hours. During the same period, 59 cases were filed at various police stations under the metropolitan jurisdiction.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Niaz Mehedi provided the information on Wednesday, 19 August.
According to police data, the highest number of arrests was recorded in the Mirpur division, where 132 people were detained. The Wari division followed with 80 arrests, while 55 people were arrested in Uttara and 53 in Motijheel.
Police also arrested 45 people in Tejgaon, 40 in Gulshan, 34 in Ramna and 33 in Lalbagh. In separate operations conducted by the Detective Branch, a further 11 people were arrested.
The special drive also included extensive anti-narcotics operations in several parts of Dhaka. Police seized 120 kilograms of cannabis, 12,375 yaba tablets, two packets of heroin and five litres of locally produced liquor. The seizures highlight the continuing focus of law-enforcement agencies on preventing the distribution and trafficking of illegal drugs in the capital.
A range of other items was also recovered during the operations. These included 11,480 counterfeit cream products, 11 mobile phones, 526 sacks of rice, two knives, one motorcycle, one private car and a remote key for another private vehicle.
Police also rescued two people who had allegedly been abducted. Authorities did not immediately disclose their identities or provide detailed information about the circumstances surrounding their abduction.
The operation forms part of the DMP’s continuing efforts to curb crime, identify people allegedly involved in criminal activities and maintain public order across the capital. Special drives of this nature are generally conducted in different areas based on law-enforcement priorities, crime patterns and information gathered during investigations.
The scale of the latest operation, including the number of arrests and the quantity of narcotics and other items recovered, indicates a broad enforcement effort covering several categories of suspected criminal activity. The filing of 59 cases also means that a number of the arrests are now entering the formal legal process.
The DMP said legal procedures against those arrested were under way in connection with the relevant cases. The seized narcotics and other recovered materials are also being processed as evidence.
However, an arrest or the filing of a criminal case does not by itself establish guilt. The allegations against the accused must be examined through the judicial process, and they cannot be treated as convicted offenders unless a court ultimately finds them guilty.
