7 members of gang posing as DB police arrested over Dhaka robberies

Officials say some dismissed members of law-enforcing agencies are also involved in the wider network

Police have arrested seven members of a gang accused of robbing people across Dhaka by posing as plainclothes detectives.

Md Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Ramna Division, said the suspects were detained in Gulistan’s Golap Shah Mazar area around 9pm on Wednesday.

The arrested men were identified as Deen Islam, also known as Kausar Ahmed, 35, Kamal Howlader, 35, Abdur Rahman Howlader, 37, Mehedi Hasan, also known as Hasan, 38, Babul Howlader, 38, Ramiz Talukder, 35, and Jannatul Ferdous, 22.

Police recovered a microbus, two jackets bearing DB insignia, two walkie-talkies, a fake police ID card, two pairs of handcuffs, two toy pistols, two pocket routers, six Android phones, six feature phones, expandable batons and laser lights during the operation.

At a press briefing on Thursday at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Media Centre, Masud said the gang had long targeted gold traders visiting Taati Bazar and people withdrawing large sums from banks in Motijheel and Paltan.

The robbers, he said, would abduct their targets under the guise of a police operation posing as DB or RAB members and strip them of cash and valuables.

He added that in the past four to five months, police had arrested at least 70 suspected robbers, including the seven men detained on Wednesday.

Four to five others managed to escape the scene, he said.

Several of the suspects have multiple robbery cases pending against them, including 10 in the name of Deen Islam, four in the name of Mehedi Hasan and four in the name of Ramiz Talukder, according to police.

The group relied on paid sources, Masud said.

Informants monitored banks and reported large withdrawals in exchange for a share of the stolen money.

“They had cars, handcuffs, walkie-talkies, pistols, DB or RAB jackets, ID cards — they had everything,” Masud said.

The gang would seize victims in crowded areas while wearing detective jackets, he explained, claiming the person was wanted in a case.

Once inside the vehicle, victims were robbed of their belongings and bank balances through mobile transactions before being abandoned in remote areas such as Kachpur or the 300 Feet Road.

Masud noted that several of the suspects had been arrested before but repeatedly secured bail.

“The court will grant bail, everyone has the right to get bail. We have no right to say anything about this,” he said.

He added that some dismissed members of law-enforcing agencies were also involved in the wider network, though none of the seven arrested men were current officers.

Masud urged the public to verify law enforcement operations when in doubt, suggesting that suspicious activities be reported directly to the local police station chief.

Asked how the group obtained official-style equipment, he said the items were sourced from outside suppliers.

“What is available for the police or law enforcing agencies has no chance of going outside,” he said.

“But they source it from outside.”