At 3am on Wednesday, under the flickering lights of the Jessore-Narail highway in Jhumjhumpur, the reign of one of Chittagong’s most feared underworld figures reached a quiet, almost surreal conclusion.
Mobarak Hossain Emon, known to the world of crime as “David Emon,” sat inside a black private car, desperately trying to play the part of a commoner. Gone was the signature large moustache that had become his trademark in the dark alleys of the port city; in its place was a clean-shaven face and a false identity.
Ruse at the border
When a police team led by Jashore’s Additional Superintendent of Police Mirajul Islam signaled the vehicle to pull over, Emon did not initially resort to violence. Instead, he attempted a final deception.
In a video of the encounter that has since surfaced on social media, the man who once commanded fear across Chittagong claimed his name was “Meraj,” a simple worker from Old Dhaka.
However, his facade crumbled under the scrutiny of seasoned officers. When the police, suspicious of his mannerisms, demanded his true identity with a stern tone, the tension broke in an unexpected way, Emon simply laughed.
He dropped the act, admitting he was indeed from Chattogram. Beside him, three associates sat in silence as their plan to cross the border into India vanished.
A rapid rise
The story of David Emon is one of a meteoric and violent ascent. Born into a humble family in Kanchan Nagar Union, Fatikchhari, he was the son of Md. Musa, a simple farmer.
With limited formal education, few expected him to become the architect of a criminal empire.
Yet, he rose swiftly through the ranks of the Chittagong underworld to become the most trusted lieutenant and second-in-command to ‘Boro Sajjad,’ a notorious figure currently operating from Dubai.
Emon was the man on the ground, the enforcer tasked with managing extortion rackets and maintaining territorial dominance through a campaign of terror.
A trail of blood
Behind the clean-shaven face encountered by the Jessore police lies a grim record of violence. Between 2024 and 2025, Emon’s name became a fixture in at least seven murder investigations.
He is a primary suspect in the Bakalia double murder case and is linked to the killing of “Dhakaia Akbar” at Patenga Beach. Perhaps his most chilling alleged crime occurred in August 2024, involving the killings of Anis and Mohammad Hasan.
His operations were not limited to gang rivalries; he also targeted the city’s commerce. Law enforcement records show his involvement in a brazen extortion attempt against an internet service provider, where a demand for Tk1 crore) was followed by a violent attack when the payment was refused.
The handover
According to Jessore Superintendent of Police Syed Rafiqul Islam, intelligence had already flagged the possibility of Emon attempting to flee the country via the border, leading to the checkpoint at Jhumjhumpur.
Following his capture and the completion of initial legal formalities, the man who tried to shave away his past has been handed over to the Chittagong District Police to face the numerous cases mounting against him.
