Joint forces have conducted a major raid at the suspected hideout of notorious drug kingpin Bunia Sohel, located at the Geneva Camp in the city’s Mohammadpur area.
During the one-hour operation, conducted from 3.30am on Friday, the law enforcers seized over Tk1.13 crore in cash and a number of illegal items, including 13 crude bombs, 25 partially made crude bombs, 400gm of gunpowder, two sharp weapons, 12 hockey sticks, 11kg of cannabis, and 12 packets of heroin.
Additionally, a money counting machine was also found at the scene.
Lt Col Nazim Ahmed, commanding officer of the Bangladesh Army’s 23 East Bengal Regiment and in-charge of the Suhrawardy Medical College army camp, confirmed these details.
According to Nazim, the authorities had prior intelligence about Bunia Sohel’s arrival at the Geneva Camp in the night and had planned the raid accordingly.
However, as the joint forces arrived at the location, the criminals cut off the electricity supply to the area and escaped through various windows, doors, and even the rooftop of the building.
“The area went completely dark, and since the buildings are closely packed, it became challenging to apprehend the suspects. Despite this, we managed to seize a significant amount of cash, explosive materials, and drugs,” said the officer.
Bunia Sohel is believed to be a well-known figure in the city’s criminal underworld, with numerous charges against him. He has a total of 38 cases against him in various police stations in Dhaka, including charges of murder, explosives possession, and drug trafficking.
Sohel had been arrested earlier this year, but after serving six months in jail, he was released on bail and immediately resumed his criminal activities across the city.
Sohel’s associates had recently murdered a man in Geneva Camp just a couple of days before the operation. During that incident, 13 of Sohel’s accomplices were apprehended.
The army official pointed out, “Although Buniya Sohel managed to escape this time, our operation to arrest him and his criminal associates will continue. We are committed to putting an end to their operations.”