Dhaka: Five people, including a notorious drug trader, have been apprehended in connection with a shooting incident in the capital’s Pallabi area, which stemmed from a dispute over Tk 15 lakh earned from drug sales.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the arrestees have been identified as Hamid Khan alias Makhon, drug trader ‘Lengra’ Rubel, Tanzid Ahmed alias Bappa, Parvez, and Rabbi. During the arrest, police recovered a foreign-made pistol, two rounds of bullets, two magazines, 1,000 Yaba pills, and two vehicles allegedly used in drug trading.
Additional Commissioner (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Md Shafiqul Islam, unveiled the details at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre. He explained that the shooting occurred in front of Emon’s tea stall at Mirpur Section-11 under Pallabi police station around 5:30 pm on August 7. Alamgir was shot in the abdomen and head, while a female passerby, Josna, sustained a gunshot injury to her leg.
Following a complaint lodged by Alamgir’s wife, a case was filed with Pallabi Police Station on charges of attempted murder. The DB Mirpur Division subsequently initiated a shadow investigation. With the aid of video footage and information technology, investigators identified a Toyota Premio car used in the shooting and arrested its registered owner, Hamid Khan alias Makhon, from Pallabi.
During interrogation, Makhon revealed that although the car was registered in his name, its actual owner is the notorious drug trader ‘Lengra’ Rubel. Based on this information, Rubel’s associates Parvez and Rabbi were arrested from the Kalshi area. Subsequently, acting on intelligence provided by Parvez and Rabbi, detectives apprehended Lengra Rubel and Tanzid Ahmed alias Bappa near the embankment adjacent to Eastern Housing under Rupnagar Police Station. A foreign-made pistol, two rounds of bullets, and two magazines were recovered from them.
Preliminary interrogation of the arrestees indicated that the shooting arose from a dispute between Alamgir and Lengra Rubel and his associates over the sharing of Tk 15 lakh earned from drug sales. DB officials highlighted that Alamgir, though a victim in this case, is a listed drug trader with several cases in Dhaka.
In response to queries, Shafiqul Islam emphasized that anyone involved in a crime would be identified as a criminal irrespective of their other identities and brought under the law. He added that Rubel faces several cases, and investigators are examining whether he invested drug money in different ventures. If necessary, information will be forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for potential action under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
The DB chief further disclosed that preliminary interrogation also unveiled the presence of several other individuals, including Bappa, in the vehicle during the shooting. Their identities are being withheld for investigative purposes, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend them. In addition to the attempted murder case, separate cases under the Arms Act and Narcotics Control Act are being processed.
The arrestees may be placed on remand for additional questioning, while DB operations to apprehend others involved in the incident continue, Shafiqul stated.