A gunfight in the capital’s Pallabi area was triggered by a dispute over the distribution of Tk15 lakh earned from drug sales, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has said.
Five individuals, including identified drug dealer and terrorist Lengra Rubel, have been arrested in connection with the incident.
DB Additional Police Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam disclosed this information during a press conference organised by DMP Media Cell on Wednesday.
According to DB chief, initial interrogation revealed that a dispute arose between a drug dealer named Alamgir and his associates over the division of Tk15 lakh from drug sales.
This dispute led to a gunfight in Pallabi’s Section-11 area, in which Alamgir was shot and a female pedestrian was injured.
Shafiqul described Alamgir as a notorious drug dealer with multiple cases pending against him in Dhaka.
“We learned during primary interrogation that they had a dispute over the accounting of Tk15 lakh from drug sales,” he said.
The police will seek remand to interrogate the arrestees extensively, and further legal actions will be taken based on any new information obtained during the interrogation, Islam added.
Regarding Rubel’s assets, the DB official said two cars used by him have been seized. The registration number plates of these vehicles are registered under the names of two other individuals. Upon questioning, those individuals told the police that Rubel had purchased the cars under their names.
The DB chief also said Rubel owns a house in Hemayetpur which is “no less than a palace”. Rubel has no visible legal source of income, and it is initially suspected that he invested his earnings from the drug trade in various sectors.
“We suspect Rubel is investing money earned from drugs into other areas and is utilising other individuals. We are keeping these matters in mind. If necessary, a money laundering case through the CID will also be considered,” said the DB official.
He added that the police have successfully solved most of the recent crimes in Dhaka Metropolitan area and expressed hope that Pallabi incident would be investigated swiftly to bring more details to light.
Mentioning that there are multiple cases against Rubel, the DB chief said, “He has seven cases registered against him. DB members worked day and night for the past three days to arrest him in connection with an attempt-to-murder case. Drives were conducted outside Dhaka and in Gazipur. He was finally arrested after hours of waiting in the Beribadh area.”
Regarding Rubel’s bail, the official said they are verifying whether Rubel was previously arrested and out on bail in another case. He added that the attempt-to-murder case and other charges against Rubel will be presented to the court to ensure necessary legal measures are taken.
The DB chief emphasised that the police are prioritising criminal involvement over political identity.
“We are identifying criminals solely as criminals. No one will be spared under a political banner. Although he had connections in both political and terrorist spheres, we succeeded in arresting him. We will not take any identity other than that of a criminal into account, even if they have one,” he said.
Regarding the snatching of Tk1 crore 21 lakh 25 thousand from DL Filling Station in Uttara, owned by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s cousin Tasin Akhtar Haque and his partner Yasin, the DB chief said, “We are investigating the matter, and the investigation is ongoing”.
