Police officers from Faridganj precinct have arrested a convicted fugitive and key associate of the late underworld kingpin Picchi Hannan during a targeted operation in Chittagong. Md. Masudul Karim, widely known by his alias ‘Killer Masud’, was apprehended late on Tuesday night in the Double Mooring area of the port city. The 50-year-old had been on the run after receiving a 14-year sentence of rigorous imprisonment in an arms possession case.
Targeted Raid and Technical Surveillance
Officers tracked Masudul Karim—the son of the late Abdul Halim Bhuiyan from East Larua village in Faridganj’s Char Dukhiya West Union—by utilising advanced information technology and location-tracking methods.
Confirming the arrest, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Faridganj Police Station, Mohammad Ershad Ullah, stated that investigators pinpointed the fugitive’s hideout in Chittagong before executing a tactical raid at approximately 12:30 AM. Assistant Sub-Inspectors Jumayet Hossain and Masud Alam of Faridganj police led the operation with active operational support from local Chittagong officers. The convict remains in police custody and will be produced before the court on Thursday.
Links to Underworld Armaments and Local Politics
Law enforcement sources identify Masud as a crucial lieutenant to Picchi Hannan, the notorious Dhaka gangster who commanded a powerful criminal network until his death in a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) shootout on 26 June 2004. According to intelligence records, Masud managed Hannan’s extensive weapons cache and was implicated in numerous violent crimes across the capital. Following Hannan’s death, Masud fled Dhaka and operated under various aliases to evade long-standing arrest warrants.
Local political records in Chandpur indicate that Masud subsequently established a foothold in regional politics under the patronage of the late Dr. Shamsul Haq Bhuiyan, a former president of the Chandpur District Awami League and former Member of Parliament for the Faridganj constituency. During that period, Masud rose to become the president of the upazila Jubo League, using his position to consolidate influence.
His presence created widespread alarm among local residents, who identified him as a prominent armed operative in the region. Despite his political profile in Faridganj, the outstanding 14-year arms sentence and multiple pending warrants eventually forced him into deep hiding, ending only with Tuesday midnight’s raid in Chittagong.
