A suspected criminal known as Mubarak has been arrested in Chattogram’s Fatikchhari after police said he opened fire on officers during a raid at a house where he had been hiding.
According to police, Mubarak is known as a notorious criminal in the Fatikchhari and Raozan areas and is believed to have been a close associate of jailed criminal David Emon. He has also been accused of involvement in several criminal activities, including the killing of Jubo Dal leader Masud in Raozan.
Police said Mubarak had spent a long period hiding in remote hill areas of Fatikchhari. Several attempts had reportedly been made to locate and arrest him, but officers were unsuccessful. As police operations in the hills intensified, he allegedly moved to the Shahnagar area of Lelang Union and took shelter at the home of an acquaintance.
Acting on confidential information, police surrounded the house late on Tuesday night. Officers took up positions around the property at about 3am. The main entrance was fitted with an iron door, and repeated requests were made for those inside to open it. When there was no response, police eventually broke open the door and entered the house at around 4.30am in the presence of local residents.
Once inside, the officers discovered three of Mubarak’s associates hiding above a false ceiling over a washroom. They were identified as Mohammad Raihan, Mohammad Farid and Mohammad Nasir.
Police said three pistols, 23 rounds of pistol ammunition and four shotgun cartridges were recovered from them.
The operation then moved to another room, where police detected Mubarak hiding above the false ceiling of a washroom. According to the officers involved, he immediately began firing when the police team entered the room.
Police said Mubarak fired six consecutive shots at the officers, prompting them to return fire. One of the bullets passed close to the ear of Kazi Mohammad Tarek Aziz, Additional Superintendent of Police for Chattogram district.
Five police personnel were injured during the operation. They included Additional Superintendent Tarek Aziz, Fatikchhari police station officer-in-charge Rabiul Alam Khan, police constable Mamunur Rashid, who serves as the Additional Superintendent’s bodyguard, and Fatikchhari police personnel Shah Newaz and Saddam Hossain. They received primary medical treatment after the incident.
Police said Mubarak attempted to fire a seventh shot, but his weapon became jammed. Officers then took advantage of the situation to bring him down from the false ceiling and arrest him.
The weapon seized from Mubarak subsequently became a significant part of the investigation. Police said an examination showed that the pistol had been looted from Kotwali police station in Chattogram city on 5 August 2024.
The recovery has added another dimension to the investigation, as the weapon allegedly taken from police custody was later used in an armed confrontation with police officers.
Following Mubarak’s arrest, Chattogram district police launched further operations in different parts of Fatikchhari and Raozan to locate and recover additional firearms. Police said the remote hill areas had served as a refuge for Mubarak for a considerable period, making efforts to arrest him particularly difficult.
During preliminary questioning, police claimed that Mubarak admitted to involvement in several killings, including the murder of Jubo Dal leader Masud in Raozan. However, these allegations remain subject to the judicial process, and any criminal responsibility will ultimately have to be established through evidence before the court.
Additional Superintendent of Police Kazi Mohammad Tarek Aziz, who led the operation, said Mubarak was produced before the court in two separate cases—one concerning the looted weapon and another relating to the alleged attack on police.
Police sought custody for questioning in both cases. The court subsequently granted four days of custody in each case, giving investigators a total of eight days to question the suspect.
Mubarak’s arrest has drawn attention in Fatikchhari and Raozan, where local residents have previously raised allegations of extortion and criminal activities against him. Local sources said his alleged activities had contributed to a climate of fear in parts of the area.
The investigation will now focus not only on the alleged crimes attributed to Mubarak but also on the origin and movement of the recovered firearm, his links with other suspected criminals and the possible presence of additional weapons in the region.
