The country’s underworld has once again descended into chaos ahead of the upcoming election. Rival factions are engaging in fresh power struggles, turf wars, and violent clashes. New faces have gained prominence, and modern arsenals are appearing on the streets daily. Recent intelligence reports have revealed alarming developments in the underworld’s shifting dynamics. The murder of top gangster Mamun, while returning from court, has sent shockwaves across the criminal world from the capital to the port city of Chittagong.
Colonel Iftikhar Ahmed, Additional Director General of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), told Bangladesh Pratidin that the RAB will take all necessary measures to ensure public safety and maintain law and order. “The identity of criminals beyond their actions is of no concern to us,” he said. He also noted that the RAB’s operations in Chittagong and Sylhet have already demonstrated success, and intelligence operations to dismantle legal arms networks are ongoing.
Sources say that Dhaka’s long-dominant gangster, Sanjidaul Haque Imon, has delegated field operations to close associates, including his uncle Zahid, Alamgir, Prince, and Sumon from Bhagalpur. Imon has been based in Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia since last December. With the support of a Tamil gang in Malaysia, he is set to obtain a Laotian passport, preparing to relocate to Canada, where he purchased a luxury property in Montreal six months ago. Under Imon’s direction, extortion, turf wars, and killings continue across Dhaka neighbourhoods including Dhanmondi, New Market, Elephant Road, and Hazaribagh.
Investigations reveal that a new and dangerous group, ‘Four Star’, has risen in Mirpur. Led by Mamun, Ibrahim, Shahadat, and Mukhtar, the group operates under the guidance of overseas godfathers, with over a hundred young gang members, mostly teenagers, instilling fear among residents. One of the group’s key lieutenants in Mirpur supervises operations from Dubai, while local enforcement is handled by Tapu, Dasa Sharif, Fighter Russel, and Pichi Ashik. Recently, members of Mamun’s faction attacked a construction company in Pallabi for failing to pay BDT 50 million in extortion, while Killer Ibrahim’s group wreaked havoc in Bashantek over a BDT 3 million dispute. Public extortion is also ongoing under the banners of Bikash-Prakash in Agargaon and Kazipara.
Following last year’s mass uprising and the fall of the Awami League government, several underworld figures were released from prison, including Sanjidaul Islam Imon, Khandakar Naeem Ahmed (Titon), Sheikh Mohammad Aslam (Sweden Aslam), Imamul Hasan Helal (Pichi Helal), Khorshed Alam (Freedom Rasu), and Arman, with others returning from India and the United States.
Tensions have since erupted between the jail-returned and overseas gang leaders over territorial control. Many refuse to acknowledge old hierarchies, triggering violent factional clashes. Consequently, multiple murders have occurred across Dhaka.
Yesterday, on Monday afternoon, top gangster Tarik Saif Mamun was shot dead near the courthouse. Police sources suggest members of Imon’s group were responsible. Although Mamun and Imon were once allies, a rift developed over recent years. Two years ago, Mamun narrowly survived an attack in Tejgaon orchestrated by Imon, which claimed the life of pedestrian Bhuban Chandra Shil. This marked Mamun’s second violent attack.
Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch, Mohammad Nasirul Islam, stated that intelligence operations have been intensified to control law and order. Top gangsters’ activities remain under close surveillance, and rapid action will be taken when necessary. Since January 2025, at least 40 people have been killed in Mirpur alone, including 15 in Pallabi. Similar murders have occurred in Darussalam, Kafrul, Bashantek, Shah Ali, Rupnagar, and Mirpur Model Thana, reflecting ongoing underworld rivalries.
Chittagong is also witnessing underworld dominance. Six top gangsters and their associates, including Baro Sajjad, Choto Sajjad, Raihan Alam, Mobarak Hossain Imon, Shahidul Islam Buysya, and Ismail Hossain Tempu, have become increasingly audacious. Over the past 13 months, at least 15 murders have been committed amid political disputes and territorial conflicts. Recently, BNP candidate Ershad Ullah was shot in Chittagong-8, while local gangster Sarwar Hossain Babla was killed during the same incident. Subsequent days saw further shootings and clashes, shaking the port city.
Confidential sources reveal that numerous weapons looted from law enforcement remain unaccounted for, fuelling new waves of criminal activity. Sophisticated firearms are also entering the country across borders. Recently, at Shahjalal International Airport, over 3,000 firearms and ammunition were seized during a fire incident. Ahead of the election, gangs are targeting specific individuals, raising fears of a surge in targeted killings.