Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 484 people during regular anti-crime operations across different parts of the capital over the past 24 hours, police said on Tuesday. A total of 58 cases were filed during the operations, while drugs and other suspected materials were also recovered.
Niaz Mehedi, additional deputy commissioner of the DMP’s Media and Public Relations Division, disclosed the information on Tuesday, 11 August.
According to police, the operations were conducted across areas under different police stations in Dhaka. Those arrested included suspects in various criminal activities as well as accused persons wanted in connection with previously filed cases. Police said officers recovered narcotics, suspected explosive-like objects and other materials during the operations.
The DMP’s eight crime divisions took part in the crackdown, alongside its Detective Branch and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit. The Mirpur Division recorded the highest number of arrests, with 124 people detained. The Wari Division followed with 71 arrests, while 56 people were arrested in the Motijheel Division.
The division-wise breakdown shows that 43 people were arrested in the Ramna Division, 33 in Lalbagh, 50 in Tejgaon, 55 in Gulshan and 48 in Uttara. Three people were arrested by the Detective Branch, while one was detained by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit.
Among the items recovered during the operations were one motorcycle, five mobile phones, two gas lighters, six pieces of foil paper and Tk 2,500 in cash. Police also reported recovering five objects resembling cocktails.
The anti-narcotics operations resulted in the seizure of a significant quantity of suspected illegal drugs. Police recovered 6.2 kilogrammes of cannabis, 6,956 yaba tablets and 30 bottles of Eskaf syrup, which police described as a substance commonly associated with the illicit trade in codeine-based cough syrup.
The latest operation forms part of the DMP’s continuing efforts to curb crime and drug-related activities in the capital. Police routinely conduct targeted operations in different areas to apprehend wanted suspects, disrupt suspected drug networks and take legal action against individuals accused of criminal offences.
The concentration of arrests in several major metropolitan divisions also reflects the scale of policing activity across Dhaka, where densely populated neighbourhoods and busy commercial and residential areas require regular law-enforcement operations.
Police said legal proceedings against those arrested are under way. However, the allegations against the detainees have yet to be established through the judicial process. Arrest alone does not constitute proof of guilt, and the final determination of criminal liability rests with the courts.
The DMP said such operations would continue as part of its broader law-and-order and anti-narcotics measures across the capital.
