Narcotics to murder: Police trace criminal trail of six-murder suspect Sabuj
The investigation, led by then Sub-Inspector Shamsuzzaman, listed four accused, including one woman, and initially recovered the victim’s body as unidentified, confirming his identity only during the inquiry.
The man arrested over six murders in six months in Savar – locally known as "mentally unstable" and introducing himself as "Samrat" – was not unfamiliar to law enforcement.
Behind the name Sabuj Sheikh lies a long, fractured criminal history now emerging in disturbing detail.As investigators probe deeper, a pattern of violence, deception, and transience has emerged.
Police records show Sabuj Sheikh was arrested in two narcotics cases at Savar Model Police Station in 2019 and 2023, and more recently, officers linked him to a 2014 murder.
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That year, 30-year-old Zubayer alias Shawon was killed in Savar's Shapla Housing area, with Sabuj, named in the case as "Tiger Samrat," identified as the prime accused.
The investigation, led by then Sub-Inspector Shamsuzzaman, listed four accused, including one woman, and initially recovered the victim's body as unidentified, confirming his identity only during the inquiry.
Savar Model Police Station Inspector (Operations) Md Helal Uddin confirmed the developments yesterday to TBS, saying authorities are reviewing whether Sabuj is linked to additional cases in other districts. "One striking detail," he said, "is that despite repeatedly changing his name and address, he never altered his father's name, Panna Sheikh, in any official record."
Early crime trail in Munshiganj
Sabuj's criminal trail extends back to his ancestral village of Mouchamandra in Haladia union of Munshiganj, where locals allege he was involved in repeated autorickshaw and bicycle thefts in his own and neighbouring areas, due to which, resentment grew not only toward Sabuj but also toward his family.
Haldia Union Parishad Ward No 5 member Md Sohel Khan said Sabuj rarely remained at home and had strained relations with residents due to long-standing drug abuse and theft. "Before he left the village the last time, he was caught trying to steal an autorickshaw," Sohel Khan said.
"He assaulted the driver so badly that the man suffered a serious head injury."
Despite the allegations, Louhajang Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Monirul Islam said no formal cases were found against Sabuj at the station. Police records show Sabuj was the second of seven siblings – three brothers and four sisters.
'Mentally ill,' family says
Much of Sabuj's descent into violent crime remains unclear. Both his mother and younger brother said he suffered from mental illness and often spoke to himself, though the family failed to grasp the severity of his condition. His brother said they had been out of contact for several years.
A visit to the family home reveals stark poverty – a makeshift compound of cloth fencing, with only a tin-roofed living room and a separate kitchen. His mother, Momtaz Begum, said Sabuj last visited about a year ago with a young woman he introduced as his wife, whom she also believed to be mentally unstable. She insisted Sabuj showed no such behaviour in childhood, saying the changes emerged only in recent years, marked by frequent self-talk and verbal aggression.
