David Emon arrested in Maksudul murder case, police claim criminal network dismantled

Chattogram District Police have said that notorious top criminal Mobarak Hossain, alias David Emon, and four others have been arrested in the case filed over the murder of businessman Maksudul Haque Chowdhury in the port city's Pahartali area.

Addressing a press briefing today (30 July), Chattogram District's Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Masud Alam said they have dismantled the group's criminal network and operation through this raid.

Based on information given by the arrestees, a foreign pistol, two locally made LG firearms, and several traditional weapons were also recovered during a raid in Fatikchhari, he added.

SP Masud said investigators identified those involved in the 13 June killing by analysing CCTV camera footage, technical evidence, and intelligence reports.

The five arrestees are David Emon, 25, of Kanchannagar in Fatikchhari; Md Mithu alias Dhama Ilias, 49, of Kadalpur in Raozan; Md Shamim, 28, originally from Monohorganj in Cumilla and currently residing on RK Mission Road in Dhaka's Motijheel; Al Islam Alif alias Tamal, 25, of Karimullahbagh in Shyampur; and Md Safayet Hossain, 24, originally from Saharpara in Sonaimuri, Noakhali, and currently residing in Jatrabari.

According to SP Masud, on 22 July, police arrested Dhama Ilias in Dhaka and, based on information he provided during grilling and intelligence inputs, began tracking Emon after he left Chattogram for Dhaka. Evading checkposts at key locations, Emon repeatedly changed his route before entering Narail via Gopalganj.

With assistance from Jashore police, officers arrested Emon and the other three in the district early yesterday (29 July).

Masud said the four were close associates involved in murder, extortion, and other crimes, adding that media reports of Emon's arrest disrupted follow-up operations and allowed several other gang members to go into hiding.

Police arrest David Emon, alleged aide of Ctg gangster Boro Sazzad, near Jhikargacha border

Police also conducted a simultaneous operation in Noakhali's Companiganj to arrest another top criminal, Raihan, but he managed to escape after jumping from a rooftop, the SP told the briefing.

"There is no scope for criminals to escape justice in the Chattogram region. Criminals have no political identity. Their only identity is that they are criminals, and police will do whatever is necessary to bring them to justice," he added.

Police claimed Emon had been hiding in Bangladesh and was planning to flee illegally to India through the Jashore border as surveillance intensified.

According to investigators, the escape plan was arranged on the instructions of "Boro Sajjad", who is believed to be living abroad at present.

SP Masud said arrangements had been made for Emon to be received on the Indian side of the border. Police also recovered an Indian Aadhaar card they claim was intended for use after entering India and arrested the driver who took him from Dhaka to Jashore.

He further said Emon altered his appearance by shaving off his distinctive moustache to avoid detection before heading towards the border.

Acting on information from the five arrestees, detectives later raided an abandoned house in Fatikchhari early today, recovering the weapons.

Police said they are investigating the source of the weapons, their financing, and the wider criminal network, and are preparing an Arms Act case over the recovery.

According to police, Emon faces 34 cases, including at least 18 filed over murder charges, at police stations under Chattogram metropolitan and district.

Police said he will initially be produced before a court in the arms case with a plea for a 10-day remand to question him about the recovered weapons, his associates, financiers, and other criminal activities.

Concluding the briefing, SP Masud said the arrest followed prolonged intelligence surveillance, technology-based analysis, and coordinated operations involving police from multiple districts, adding that drives to arrest the remaining members of the criminal network would continue.