Published : 26 Jul 2025, 05:49 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 01:34 PM
Residents of Dhaka’s Mohammadpur have staged protests demanding the removal of local police chief Ali Iftekhar Hasan, accusing him of negligence in handling a mugging complaint and alleging his ties to extortion rackets and criminal gangs.
The demonstration took place on Friday in front of Mohammadpur Police Station around 5pm.
Protesters accused Iftekhar of repeated negligence and alleged ties to extortionists, thieves, and muggers.
The demonstration followed a mugging incident on Thursday night, when a victim claimed that Mohammadpur police were reluctant to register his complaint after his mobile phone was snatched.
According to the victim, Iftekhar dismissed the complaint outright, reportedly saying: “Even as the Mohammadpur police chief, I use a cheap phone. If you carry such an expensive one around, of course you’ll get mugged.”
The complainant said he was told there were not enough officers available to take down his statement.
He was later given some paper to file the complaint, but an officer said there were no pens.
After the incident sparked public outrage on social media, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Mohammadpur Zone Additional Deputy Commissioner Jewel Rana announced that Sub-Inspector Jasim Uddin, Assistant Sub-Inspector Anarul Islam, and constables Majedur Rahman and Shihab Uddin Shihab had been withdrawn from duty over claims of negligence.
On Friday afternoon, police conducted a raid in the Beribadh area of Mohammadpur and arrested three suspected muggers, recovering the victim’s stolen phone.
In the protest rally, Mohammadpur resident Parvez Hasan Sumon said: “Despite numerous complaints of misconduct and failure to provide legal assistance, the chief is not being removed. He collaborates with criminals, extortionists, and muggers in a crime-prone area like this, causing a serious deterioration in law and order.”
Sumon added that locals feel intimidated and unsafe as Iftekhar is not removed from the position despite multiple complaints.
He is also reported to retaliate against those who speak out.
Another resident, Ismail Hossain Patwari, alleged that residents face mistreatment when seeking services at the police station.
The incident on Thursday caught the attention of the Police Headquarters, which acknowledged the misconduct in a Facebook post on Friday evening and issued an apology for the officer’s behaviour.
