He was once the ultimate enforcer of the state, a man whose very name struck fear into political opponents.
As Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, Rapid Action Battalion director general, and later inspector general of police, Benazir Ahmed was notorious for his ruthless suppression of anti-government movements.
Backed by the Awami League regime, his career was heavily criticised amid severe allegations of orchestrating enforced disappearances and “crossfire” killings.
Today, Benazir stays behind the bars abroad, while back home, his staggering empire of “dirty cash” and luxury real estate is being dismantled piece by piece.
In a poetic twist of justice, even the kitchen utensils and household clothes from his luxury Gulshan flats have been seized and deposited into the state relief fund to serve the public he once ruled over, marking one of the most dramatic downfalls in the country’s recent history.
Benazir’s career was defined by controversy, iron-fisted ruthlessness, and absolute loyalty to the ousted Awami League regime. Hailing from Gopalganj, he leveraged massive political backing to rise rapidly through the law enforcement ranks.
His reckless and aggressive behaviour first grabbed headlines during his tenure as the DMP commissioner, where he was highly enthusiastic about using force to suppress anti-government movements.
Later, as the director general of the elite force RAB and eventually as the nation’s top cop, his leadership was heavily shadowed by grave, recurring allegations of engineered “crossfires” and forced disappearances.
Yet, while Benazir was busy policing the streets, he and his family were quietly building a breathtaking, multi-million-dollar financial empire far beyond their known sources of income.
Following a massive probe, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) unearthed Tk43.46 crore in known non-income assets tied directly to Benazir, his wife Zeeshan Mirza, and their daughters, Farheen Rista binte Benazir and Tahsin Raisa binte Benazir.
Acting on the ACC’s findings, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Court Judge Md Ash Shams Jaglul Hossain issued a sweeping order to attach and block their massive wealth portfolio.
The court-ordered freeze encompasses 119 asset documents, including four massive luxury flats in Gulshan’s premium Rancon Icon Tower, two measuring 2,042 square feet and two at 2,053 square feet, alongside several other apartments in Savar Police Town.
The sheer scale of the family’s land ownership has shocked the public, totalling 345 bighas (approximately 114 acres) of land spread across Savar, Singair in Manikganj, and Rajoir in Madaripur. The vast majority of this land was registered under the name of his wife, Zeeshan Mirza.
In the corporate sector, the family owned eight fully-owned companies and held partial shares in 15 other firms. This includes the sprawling Savanna Eco Resort, Savanna Natural Park, Savanna Farm Products, and the Savanna Country Club in Gopalganj.
Furthermore, the ACC uncovered a jaw-dropping duplex mansion built across 40 kathas in Purbachal with an estimated value of at least Tk 45 crore, alongside an adjacent 10 bighas of land worth Tk 22 crore.
Financial investigators found that the wealth was meticulously distributed among family members to conceal its origin. The investigation proved evidence of assets worth Tk 9.25 crore in Benazir Ahmed’s own name, Tk 21.34 crore in the name of his wife, and Tk 12.87 crore split between his two daughters.
The daughters, Farhin and Tahsin, were also found to own 200,000 shares in Best Holdings Limited, the parent company of the five-star hotel Le Méridien, while the entire family held a combined 25 per cent stake in a firm named M/S Ekti Shishir Bindu.
To fuel this lifestyle, the family maintained 33 active bank accounts across various public and private banks, held Tk 30 lakh in Sonali Bank savings certificates, and possessed significant investments in the stock market through firms like Shanta and Lanka-Bangla.
Benazir did not stick around to face the legal consequences of his actions. Living a life of extreme luxury, the former cop and his family fled Bangladesh after his retirement. Intelligence reports reveal they have travelled through and invested heavily in global hubs, including Dubai, Malaysia, Thailand, and Portugal.
The ACC has already traced massive money laundering tracks tied to overseas businesses, prompting the court to order the freezing of his international bank accounts and immovable properties in both the United States and Malaysia.
The final, symbolic blow to the former police chief’s legacy occurred on 22 December, 2025. Following a re-evaluation of a previous decision to sell the family’s seized household goods at a public auction, the ACC opted for an unprecedented move.
ACC Public Relations Deputy Director Md Akhtarul Islam confirmed that a three-member committee successfully cleared out flats 12/A, 12/B, 13/A, and 13/B of the Rancon Icon Tower.
Everything from perishable goods and clothing to high-end household items and kitchen utensils was officially transferred to the Chief Adviser’s Relief Fund, leaving only a few select samples behind for legal record.
