A drug trafficker escaped on Sunday night while being taken back to Gazipur prison after a court appearance.
Raja, known as “Picchi Raja,” is accused in 25 cases and identified in police records as a leading narcotics dealer from Geneva Camp in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur.
Masud Hasan Jewel, jailer of the Department of Prisons, said Raja had been brought from Gazipur to Dhaka court for his hearing.
Around 8:30pm, near Nawjor Highway Police Station in Gazipur, he told police that he needed to use the toilet. Officers allowed him to get out of the vehicle, but he fled.
Raja 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.
Md Nazrul Islam, senior jail superintendent of Kashimpur Central Jail, said the accused had been handed over to court police on Sunday morning.
Officials said police reported that Raja was allowed to get out of the van near Nawjor Highway Police Station, from where he fled.
