Published : 08 Oct 2026, 03:55 PM
Updated : 08 Oct 2026, 03:59 PM
Former army officer Masud Uddin Chowdhury, a prominent figure during the military-controlled caretaker government, has been taken to hospital from jail.
Prison authorities said he was not taken to hospital because of any sudden illness, but as part of a decision made earlier.
Masud was taken from the Special Central Jail in Keraniganj to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 4pm on Wednesday.
After medical examinations, doctors admitted him to a cabin in the medicine department around 5:30pm. He is currently receiving treatment there.
Doctors initially declined to comment on his condition, but later said the prison authorities sent him to hospital after he reported feeling unwell.
Masud Hasan, a jailer at the Department of Prisons, said Masud Uddin was suffering from “AKI hyperkalaemia”.
He said the former army officer had already been receiving treatment for the condition.
Acute kidney injury, or AKI, is a sudden loss of kidney function, while hyperkalaemia refers to an abnormally high level of potassium in the blood.
In patients with AKI and hyperkalaemia, kidney complications can cause potassium levels in the blood to rise abnormally.
Jailer Masud said prison doctors had examined him and provided initial treatment, but a decision had already been made to send him to an outside hospital on Wednesday.
“He was seen by doctors here and given initial treatment for his illness. A decision had already been made to send him to an outside hospital on Wednesday. Accordingly, he was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital,” he said.
Asked about Masud’s current condition, he said treatment would continue as the former army officer had been suffering from the condition and was already receiving treatment for it.
Arrest and Cases
Masud was arrested from a house on Lane 2 in the Baridhara DOHS on Mar 23.
He was subsequently taken into remand in several cases before being sent to jail on May 7. His arrest in a crimes against humanity case over incidents during the July Uprising in Feni was later ordered by the International Crimes Tribunal.
On May 11, he was shown arrested in a “money-laundering” case filed under the Money Laundering Prevention Act with Banani Police.
He was also shown arrested in an Anti-Corruption Commission case on May 18.
Role During 1/11
In 2007, Masud, then a major general and GOC of the Army’s 9th Division, was promoted to lieutenant general following the political changeover on Jan 11 and became coordinator of the National Coordination Committee for Combating Serious Crimes.
The committee was headed by then home advisor and retired major general MA Matin. During the state of emergency, however, Masud was widely believed to have operated from behind the scenes to control and direct the activities of the joint forces.
The force, led by army officers, detained senior politicians and businesspeople for questioning and later filed corruption cases against them.
Masud’s role during the 1/11 period has also been documented in reporting on his March 2026 arrest.
