Five members of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) have been suspended after top drug trafficker “Picchi Raja” escaped custody. He fled while being taken back to prison following a court appearance.
GMP’s Acting Commissioner Mohammad Taherul Haque Chauhan confirmed the suspension on Monday morning.
The five suspended members include one assistant sub‑inspector, one nayek, and three constables. They had been responsible for prisoner security during court transfers, the official said.
To investigate the incident, a three‑member inquiry committee has been formed and instructed to submit its report within seven days.
He is accused in 25 cases, and police records identify him as a leading narcotics dealer from the Mohammadpur area of Dhaka.
Masud Hasan Jewel, jailer of the Department of Prisons, said “Picchi Raja” had been brought from Gazipur to Dhaka court for his hearing. After attending the hearing around 8:30pm Sunday, he told police he needed to use the toilet.
Officers allowed him to get out of the vehicle near Nawjor Highway Police Station in Gazipur, but he fled.
The accused was earlier arrested at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 19 May after returning from Nepal, accompanied by his wife and brother‑in‑law.
He had also been arrested once before, on 29 September 2024, when police reported seizing a large quantity of drugs and weapons from him.
