Former army general, diplomat and politician Masud Uddin Chowdhury has been placed on a five-day remand after his arrest late Monday night from his residence in Dhaka, in connection with multiple criminal cases including human trafficking and murder.
Police say the former lawmaker, who has long been a controversial figure in the country’s political and military history, faces at least 11 cases across different jurisdictions.
Authorities confirmed that he was shown arrested in a human trafficking case filed with Paltan Police Station, where he is listed as the third accused among 101 defendants.
According to investigators, Masud had been under consideration for arrest during Ramadan. However, the move was delayed following a request from his family to allow him to spend Eid with them.
He was eventually detained by a team from the Detective Branch (DB) at his duplex residence in the capital’s Baridhara area.
He was later produced before a Dhaka court on Tuesday, where Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junayed granted police a five-day remand for questioning.
DB chief and additional police commissioner Shafiqul Islam said Masud is facing a wide range of serious allegations.
These include murder, attempted murder, human trafficking, and money laundering, with cases filed in several police stations including Banani, Paltan, Kotwali, Mirpur and Hatirjheel.
Three cases are currently under trial in Feni, where arrest warrants had already been issued against him. Another eight cases are under investigation in both Feni and Dhaka.
Authorities also confirmed that separate allegations are being probed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), including a major money laundering case involving approximately Tk 100 crore filed in August last year.
Masud has also been named among the accused in cases linked to the killing of 11 people during the July–August 2024 protests in Feni’s Mohipal area.
Masud, a retired lieutenant general, is widely known for his role during January 11, 2007 (1/11) political transition, which led to the imposition of a state of emergency and the installation of a military-backed caretaker government.
At the time, he served as general officer commanding (GOC) of the 9th Infantry Division and was considered a close confidant of then army chief Moeen U Ahmed.
He also headed the powerful National Coordination Committee on Serious Crimes, which oversaw joint force operations that led to the arrest and interrogation of top political leaders and businessmen on corruption charges.
The period was marked by the controversial “minus two formula,” widely believed to be an attempt to sideline the country’s two main political leaders — Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia — from politics.
Masud’s name has also been linked to allegations of custodial torture of the then BNP senior joint secretary general and current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman during that period.
Masud began his career in 1975, initially serving in the paramilitary Rakkhi Bahini before being absorbed into the Bangladesh Army following the killing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family on August 15 that year.
He rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant general — reportedly the only person to reach that rank from the Rakkhi Bahini background.
In 2007, he was promoted and later served as principal staff officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division.
Following reported differences with the army chief, he was reassigned in June 2008 and later moved to the foreign ministry. That same year, he was appointed Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Australia, a position he held until 2014 after multiple extensions.
After retiring from service, he joined politics in 2018 under Hussain Muhammad Ershad’s Jatiya Party and was elected as a Member of Parliament from Feni-3. He was also elected to Parliament in 2024. He also served as the party chairman’s defence adviser.
Beyond politics, Masud has been linked to overseas manpower recruitment, where allegations of controlling syndicate and fraud — particularly involving the Malaysian labour market — have surfaced over the years.
He is also reported to own a restaurant in Dhaka’s Gulshan-Tejgaon Link Road area.
Investigators say allegations against him include the laundering of thousands of crores taka, though these claims remain under investigation.
Public anger erupts at court
Tensions escalated at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court premises on Tuesday following the remand hearing.
As Masud was being escorted out under tight security, a group of agitated individuals hurled rotten eggs at him, chanting slogans and expressing anger over the allegations against him.
One person was heard shouting that throwing “ten rotten eggs” had brought him some relief, and warned of further action if given the opportunity.
The incident briefly created a chaotic situation within the court before law enforcement restored control.
