Two pistols in two hands, target in sight, pull the trigger. Once the order arrives, fire. There was no need to know who the target was, or why they had to die; executing the command was the sole mission.
From Chittagong’s Fatikchhari to the city centre, and from Hathazari to Rauzan, this was the chilling modus operandi of Mohammad Mobarak Hossain, alias Kala Mobarak, alias Golakata Mobarak.
This formidable marksman has been arrested by the police following a series of murders, terrorist attacks, and extortion incidents. Police claim that Mobarak is a key shooter of the “killing squad” belonging to “Boro Sajjad,” a notorious Chittagong criminal currently hiding in Dubai.
He is also said to be a close associate of the imprisoned top terrorist Mobarak Hossain Imon alias David Imon, and Rayhan, who recently made a daring escape by leaping from a rooftop in Noakhali.
Mobarak’s rare ability to fire weapons with both hands simultaneously earned him a distinct reputation in the criminal underworld.
His run finally ended on 26 August when police surrounded him as he hid inside the false ceiling of a toilet in a house in Kanchan Nagar area of Fatikchhari. Refusing to surrender quietly, Mobarak fired six rounds at the police using a looted government pistol.
He was eventually captured, and police recovered an arsenal consisting of a Brazilian-made 9mm foreign pistol, an Italian-made 7.65mm foreign pistol, a foreign revolver, and a locally manufactured pistol.
Along with the weapons, they seized 18 rounds of 9mm ammunition, five rounds of 7.65mm ammunition, three magazines, three spent pistol cartridges, and four spent shotgun cartridges.
‘Whomever they say, must be killed’
Chattogram Superintendent of Police (SP) Masud Alam told TIMES of Bangladesh that Mobarak was a top associate of the fugitive Rayhan, who in turn works under the direction of Boro Sajjad.
“Mobarak is highly skilled at shooting with both hands,” SP Alam said, explaining that Mobarak was essentially used as a tool to carry out assassinations wherever and whenever directed by Sajjad, Imon, and Rayhan.
For instance, Mobarak did not even know his target, Jubodol leader Maksudul Haq Chowdhury Masud, beforehand. Rayhan had simply sent Masud’s photograph to Mobarak’s mobile phone to mark him out.
Investigations revealed that Mobarak was the one who fired the first shot during the assassination. SP Alam said Mobarak was involved in most of the violent attacks in Fatikchhari, Hathazari, and Chittagong city.
“These terrorists do not possess their own conscience or humanity,” the SP observed. “Their only job is to kill whoever their boss orders,” he added.
The brutal reality of this handiwork was laid bare on 13 June this year at Pahartali Choumuhoni Bazar in Rauzan Upazila. Senior Joint Convenor of Rangunia Upazila Jubodol Maksudul Haq Chowdhury Masud was gunned down on a public road.
Police claim Mobarak led the operation, and CCTV footage from the scene captured him firing directly with a pistol in each hand.
Investigations later revealed that one of the weapons used in the killing was a government-issued pistol looted from a police station during the unrest on 5 August 2024.
A trail of blood and extortion
The assassination in Rauzan is part of a much wider trail of violence.
On 5 November 2025, gunfire broke out in the city’s Bayezid area during a public campaign for Ershad Ullah, the BNP-nominated candidate for Chittagong-8 constituency, claiming the life of Sarwar Babla.
Police assert that Mobarak was directly involved in the shooting. CCTV footage identified him wearing a green t-shirt, a cap, and trousers, accompanied by five accomplices who fled the scene immediately after the attack.
Mobarak’s violent presence is also heavily felt in Fatikchhari, where he faces multiple murder charges.
On the night of 10 January this year, masked assailants on a motorcycle shot and killed Jamal Uddin in Shahnagar Dighirpar area of Lelang Union, an attack in which Mobarak is directly accused.
Prior to this, on the night of 28 February 2024, a gang hacked Saddam Hossain near Chhomurhat Bazar. Saddam died from his injuries at Chittagong Medical College Hospital on 4 March. Police have found clear evidence of Mobarak’s involvement in this murder as well.
Even his moniker “Golakata” (throat-slitter) carries a gruesome history. It dates back to 3 July 2015, when Awami Jubo League leader Azam Khan Babu was brutally murdered beside the Halda River near Nazirhat New Bridge in Fatikchhari.
Babu’s throat was slit, and his body bore numerous severe injuries. SP Masud Alam confirmed that the horrifying nature of this murder earned Mobarak the permanent underworld alias of “Golakata Mobarak.”
Beyond contract killings, Mobarak is also accused of running a high-stakes extortion racket. In Chandanpura, the residence of former MP and businessman Mujibur Rahman was repeatedly targeted for failing to pay a massive demand of Tk10 crore.
On 28 February, four armed men fired shots at the house, shattering second-floor window panes, following a similar random shooting on 2 January.
CCTV footage from the February incident shows a masked shooter in a black blazer firing at the building with a pistol in each hand – an individual police have identified as Mobarak.
Similarly, on 20 August 2025, a gang led by Mobarak attacked the residence of businessman Mohammad Jahangir Alam in North Mekhal village of Hathazari Upazila, demanding Tk50 lakh in extortion.
CCTV footage shows four masked men entering the open gates in broad daylight, three of them armed.
They fired several rounds before fleeing. Police recovered nine spent cartridges and one live round from the scene, saying the shooter in the blue t-shirt and cap, firing with his right hand, was indeed Mobarak.
No escape behind the false ceiling
The end of the road for Mobarak came in Kanchan Nagar, where he sought refuge in the false ceiling of a toilet.
A dramatic video of the raid, which circulated widely on social media, captured the tense exchange between the cornered gunman and the police. In the footage, a police officer can be heard urging Mobarak to drop his weapons and surrender to save his life.
The officer warned him that there were adversaries waiting outside to kill him, and that the police had arrived to secure his safety.
“If I hand over the weapons, it will be a problem,” Mobarak replied from his hiding place. The officer assured him that surrender was his only viable option, and shortly after, the operation concluded with his arrest.
Mobarak’s journey into the criminal underworld began in the quiet village of Manikpur in Fatikchhari’s Kanchan Nagar Union, where he grew up at Hachi Chowdhury’s house.
The son of Md Lokman, a simple local resident, Mobarak did not progress far with his formal education. After his adolescence, he fell into an unruly lifestyle, drifting through unemployment.
He soon found his way into local gangs operating in the hilly and rural terrains of Fatikchhari and Rauzan. Engaging in local brawls and petty extortion, Mobarak’s capacity for violence grew.
Recognising that firearms were the ultimate source of power in the criminal underworld, he underwent secret training. His exceptional marksmanship and ambidextrous shooting skills soon caught the attention of major crime bosses.
Now 37 years old, Mobarak had evolved from a petty local offender into a premier shooter for Boro Sajjad and the jailed David Imon’s killing squad.
Following Mobarak’s capture, Chittagong District SP Masud Alam issued a severe warning to other criminals operating in the region.
“Our message to terrorists is clear: they must abandon crime and return to a peaceful life if they want to avoid danger,” the SP said, adding with absolute resolve, “We will pick them up one by one, wherever they are.”
