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A former young adviser to the interim government is reportedly being guarded by cadres loyal to one of Bangladesh’s most wanted criminals – Sanjidul Islam Emon, also known as Captain Emon – in exchange for a substantial monthly payment.
The disclosure came from an assistant inspector general of police, who spoke to the Daily Sun on condition of anonymity.
"After coming out of jail in 2024, Emon has stayed in Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia," the officer said.
"He has returned to Bangladesh and gone back to the countries several times, and has paid several visits to Dhaka Boat Club after returning home from Thailand."
The revelation offers a stark illustration of just how far the influence of Dhaka’s underworld kingpins now extends.
Rival gangs, political ties and a climate of fear
According to police sources, Emon and another top-listed criminal – Imammul Haque Helal, commonly known as Picchi Helal – are now bitter rivals. Yet both men appear to command considerable political patronage.
A section of leaders and activists from a political party operating across Kamrangirchar, Hazaribagh, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Lalbagh, Chawkbazar and New Market have reportedly forged direct links with one or the other, using those connections to dominate their respective neighbourhoods and neutralise rivals.
The consequences for those caught between the two factions can be severe.
In 2025, a group of men armed with white machetes cornered Aminul Islam – the Ward No. 23 BNP president under Lalbagh Thana – inside a room. One of the men filmed the encounter on a mobile phone.
In the footage, a machete is held to Aminul’s throat whilst one of his captors tells him they had "honoured him and made him leader."
The group then warned that his continued association with Picchi Helal would cost him his life before releasing him.
Several party activists, speaking anonymously, said Aminul had been targeted by Emon’s cadres because he had been displaying Helal’s influence in the area.
Aminul was subsequently expelled from the party on charges of extortion and land grabbing, though the expulsion was later withdrawn.
Meanwhile, an additional deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police confirmed to the Daily Sun that Helal is living in Mohammadpur and actively leading his gang.
The criminal has been spotted on various occasions, including, according to sources, at a political leader’s wedding ceremony a few months ago, where photographs were taken with several attendees.
The Daily Sun has obtained two of those images.
A spate of killings
The criminal violence has taken a deadly toll.
On the night of 28 April, gunmen shot dead Khandokar Noyeem Ahmed Titon, 59, near the Dhaka University area at around 8pm.
Titon, who had been released from prison on 13 August 2024, was killed in what sources believe was a targeted attack.
His brother, Khandokar Saeed Akhtar Ripon, subsequently filed a murder case at New Market Police Station, naming Picchi Helal, Badal (also known as Killer Badal or Kaila Badal), Shahjahan and Rony (alias Dagari Rony) as the accused.
Earlier, on 10 November 2025, another top-listed criminal, Tariq Saif Mamun, 50, was shot dead outside the Dhaka court complex. Emon has been named as a suspect in that killing as well.
In the greater Mirpur area alone, at least 40 murders were recorded between January 2025 and February 2026, the majority of which police sources link to underworld turf conflicts.
Criminals at large – some operating from abroad
The picture that emerges from police sources is of a criminal ecosystem operating with considerable freedom, in some cases from overseas.
A gang calling itself "Four Star" – comprising top criminals Shahadat Hossain, Mafizur Rahman Mamun, Ibrahim and Moktar – is understood to be directing operations in the greater Mirpur and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar areas through local cadres, including individuals known as Topu, Dasa Sharif, Rasel and Ashik, while the gang’s principals remain abroad.
Similarly, underworld figures Jisan Ahmed Monti, Tofail Ahmed Joseph, Freedom Manik and others are believed to be continuing their criminal activities whilst residing in various foreign countries.
Emon, for his part, is reportedly attempting to obtain a Laotian passport through a Malaysian criminal network.
Khorshed Alam Rasu, another enlisted criminal who has been released from jail, is said to be active once again.
In a notable instance of apparent political interference, a political party leader wrote to the officer-in-charge of Konabari police station in Gazipur in February this year, requesting that a complaint lodged by Rasu against certain individuals be formally recorded as a first information report.
Not all of the named figures remain free. Sweden Aslam and Killer Abbas are currently in the country, whilst Subrato Bain and Molla Masud were arrested by army personnel last year and remain in custody.
Sources also noted that Councillor Mizan – known as Pagla Mizan – was arrested during the Awami League administration, reportedly at the instigation of former Army chief Gen (retd) Aziz Ahmed, after Mizan filed a case against Joseph, who is Aziz’s younger brother.
When the Daily Sun sought comment from Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) of DMP SN Nazrul Islam, he declined to discuss the steps being taken to apprehend the top criminals, citing an ongoing meeting.