The government has formally set in motion the legal machinery to bring back former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed from the United Arab Emirates following his arrest in Dubai.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told parliament on Sunday that the former police chief was apprehended on Friday, after Interpol shared crucial intelligence regarding his whereabouts.
National Central Bureau (NCB) of Bangladesh Police – the unit responsible for coordinating with the international police organisation – is currently supervising the Arabic translation of an arrest warrant issued in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Once the translation is finalised, a formal letter will be dispatched to Dubai authorities to facilitate Benazir’s return. Police and ACC officials are working in close coordination, and it is expected that the translated warrant will be submitted to the home ministry by Wednesday or Thursday.
From there, the political branch of the ministry will forward the request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will then communicate with the consular office in Dubai or directly with the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Strategic reliance on ACC cases
Although Benazir Ahmed is named as “a person who gave orders” in 17 murder cases related to the 2024 mass uprising and faces 10 allegations of crimes against humanity at the International Crimes Tribunal concerning the 2013 Hefazat-e-Islam rally, the government has strategically prioritised the ACC cases for the extradition process.
An additional IGP told TIMES of Bangladesh that murder and human rights cases involving “mass accused” have drawn domestic and international criticism from activists, who have questioned the investigation and trial processes.
Consequently, the government believes the ACC’s corruption charges provide a more robust and less controversial legal basis for his return.
Benazir currently faces six cases initiated by the ACC involving corruption, illegal wealth acquisition, money laundering, and passport forgery, with trial proceedings already underway for one case involving the acquisition of Tk11.04 crore beyond known income.
In this case, currently being heard at the Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-5, five witnesses, including the complainant, have already provided testimony, and the court has scheduled the next hearing for 23 June.
The ACC investigation revealed that while Benazir declared assets worth Tk12.19 crore – comprising Tk6.45 crore in immovable property and Tk5.74 crore in movable assets – his total wealth was found to be Tk15.68 crore.
Accounting for his legal income and expenses, his savings should have stood at only Tk4.63 crore.
Passport forgery and money laundering
The former IGP is also accused of obtaining a passport through deceptive means.
In October 2024, the ACC filed a case alleging that while serving in high-profile roles such as director general of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Benazir identified himself as a private-sector employee to bypass the requirement for a departmental No Objection Certificate (NOC).
A money laundering case filed in February 2025 alleges that Benazir withdrew Tk11.34 crore in cash before fleeing the country, effectively concealing the source and location of the funds.
The ACC probe also discovered that Benazir and his family members prematurely liquidated multiple Fixed Deposit Receipts (FDRs) in 2024 to withdraw cash before the assets could be frozen.
The former police chief’s family members are heavily implicated in these financial crimes. His wife, Zeeshan Mirza, is accused of acquiring Tk31.69 crore in illegal wealth and concealing information regarding Tk16 crore in assets.
His daughters, Farheen Rishta Binte Benazir and Tahsin Raisa Binte Benazir, face charges of illegally acquiring Tk8.75 crore and Tk5.59 crore, respectively.
The ACC maintains that these assets were acquired through Benazir’s influence, leading to his inclusion as a supporting defendant in these cases. ACC official Joynal Abedin noted that the overall investigation into the family’s wealth remains ongoing.
Criminal cases and allegations
Beyond financial crimes, Benazir faces over a dozen cases involving murder, attempted murder, and enforced disappearances.
These include his role as DMP commissioner in the 2013 “sand-laden truck” siege of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s residence and an attack on BNP activists at the Matsya Bhaban intersection in November 2013.
He is also named in cases of disappearance and murder filed at Mirpur Model Thana, Uttara West Thana, and Shibganj Thana in Bogura.
There are successful precedents for extraditing suspects from Dubai via Interpol, such as Arif Sarkar, the prime suspect in the murder of former Shibpur Upazila chairman Harunur Rashid Khan, who was returned on 6 May.
SM Forhad Hossain, the PBI Superintendent of Police for Narsingdi, noted that another suspect in that case, Mohsin Mia, was also returned in July 2025.
However, the process is not without challenges. The 2019 attempt to extradite top terrorist Zeesan, alias Monty, failed after it was discovered he had obtained an Indian passport under the name Ali Akbar Choudhury.
Given media reports that Benazir Ahmed may also hold a foreign passport, authorities are preparing for potential legal complexities in the repatriation process.
