Motijheel Division of police on Friday arrested suspected shooter Tanim Reza alias Bappi, 46, and four of his associates for their alleged involvement in an extortion and a shooting incident in the capital.
Police said Bappi has long operated as a close associate of Subrata Bain, a top criminal listed by both Interpol and the DMP and is widely regarded as a key controller of Bain’s illegal arsenal.
The other four individuals have been identified as Mohammad Jewel, 48, Shakil, 27, Md Manik Kazi, 50, and Rakibul Islam Bhuiyan alias Rizon, 35.
According to division sources, the arrests followed an investigation into a 19 May attack, when armed men opened fire on the office of a cattle market lessee in South Kamalapur.
Investigators said the businessman had earlier received a death threat and a demand for Tk10 lakh in extortion via WhatsApp from a foreign number on 15 May. When the demand was not met, the shooting took place.
Motijheel police confirmed the involvement of Bappi and his associates, who had been in hiding since the incident.
During the operation, law enforcement officials recovered three foreign-made firearms and seven rounds of ammunition from their possession, reads a press release.
In a drive conducted at 7am on Friday, a police team apprehended Bappi, Jewel, Shakil, and Manik Kazi near Hotel Purbani in Motijheel. Following intensive interrogation and the use of technology, the fifth suspect, Rizon, was arrested in the North Kamalapur area at 1:50pm that same day.
Based on information extracted during questioning, police conducted a late-night raid on Bappi’s office in South Kamalapur. The recovery included one foreign revolver, two foreign pistols, five rounds of revolver ammunition, two rounds of pistol ammunition, two magazines, an electric shock gun, and a Chinese axe.
Police records said Tanim Reza Bappi is a known illegal arms carrier linked to various shooting incidents and extortion activities across Motijheel. He currently faces seven criminal cases at different Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) stations on charges including extortion, robbery, kidnapping, attempted murder, narcotics, and violence against women and children.
A fresh case has been filed against the accused under the Arms Act at Motijheel Police Station. Operations are ongoing to apprehend other accomplices and recover further illegal weapons.
