Khandakar Nayeem Ahmed Titon, a listed top criminal, has been shot dead by armed assailants in the New Market area of Dhaka.
The killing took place on Tuesday night, with police confirming the victim’s identity through fingerprint verification, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Titon, 52, is believed to have spent more than two decades in prison. He was released following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024, which came amid a mass movement.
He was known to exert influence in the Rayerbazar and Hazaribagh areas of the city. Multiple cases had been filed against him, including charges of murder, extortion and other criminal activities.
Titon was also related by marriage to another listed top criminal, Sanjidul Islam Emon, having married Emon’s sister. It is widely believed that Titon’s rise in the criminal underworld was largely due to Emon’s influence.
He had been granted bail on 17 September 2023 while Awami League was still in power, but remained in custody due to legal complications. Following the government’s fall in August 2024, he was released along with several other listed top criminals who had been detained.
Police say that after his release on bail, Titon failed to appear regularly in court. As a result, a warrant was later issued for his arrest.
Titon was among 23 top criminals for whom the BNP–Jamaat coalition government had announced rewards in 2002 during its time in power.
