Gangland extortion and terrorism in the capital are being carried out by individuals with political clout, intelligence sources said. The members of the underworld have political identities, the sources told the Daily Observer on Saturday.
Terrorism, extortion, forced disappearances and murders are being carried out using the names of some identified terrorists.
A high official of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Detective and Crime Information Section) told this correspondent though once it was claimed that extortion was demanded via phone-calls in the name of terrorists who are abroad, but no such complaints has been reported in the last 1 year. Many of the listed gangland bosses were killed by law enforcers in the last 13 years.
These organised gangsters are systematically realizing toll from the city-dwellers including traders by threatening them over telephone, sources claimed.
Most of the bounty declared terrorists have been allegedly on the run and a large number of them are in neighbouring India. Some others are imprisoned and some freed on bail.
Sources said that Joy is now living in Kolkata
in India. It has also been learned that he is living quite a luxurious life, besides running a business with the extortion money collected from the
New Market area in the capital.
Joy is trying to get Indian citizenship to live there permanently. Though he is out of the country, he is maintaining deep relationship with the underworld in the country.
Kala Jahangir is another dreadful name of a terrorist in the underworld in Dhaka. There are many mysteries and confusions surrounding this terrorist. No one knows where Jahangir is living now. Some are assuming that he is living in India.
The same sources informed by referring another unconfirmed source that Kala Jahangor died in India in a gunfight with another rival group after several years of his fleeing to India.
Several businessmen in the capital including those in Mirpur get regular phone calls from anonymous Indian numbers where they are asked to pay extortion money in the name of terrorist Shahadat. Shahadat introduced himself as the ruling party men.
Once upon a time, Shahadat was a feared name in the then 'Crime Zone' Mirpur and other areas of the capital city. He too fled to India after being charged with involvement in 16 separate cases. Absconding in India, he is running extortion business in Dhaka. According to the information provided by the Detective Branch, Shahadat is living in Murshidabad of India.
Terrorist Nobi Hossain reigned his terror network mainly in the capital's Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur areas. He also fled to India. Sources informed that he is in Alipur Jail in India. But locals in Dhaka are demanding that extortion business in still going on under his name in both the affluent areas of the city.
The old part of Dhaka city was once dominated by terrorist Omar Faruq, Muku, Ali Azgar Babul, Sanaullah and his second-in-command Koitor Masum. It was learned that some of them are behind bars while some others are living abroad including in India.
Dakat Shahid is the name of another terror in Old Town. Dhakat Shahid controlled Gopibagh, Swamibag, Wari, Koratitola and Jatrabari areas. He died in law enforcers crossfire. Now, several of his followers are reigning the territories and carrying out terrorism and extortion business. Dakat Shahid was a ruling party man.
Listed top terrorist Amin Rosul Sagor has fled to the United States, Imam Hossain is in Canada and Haris Ahmed in Pakistan.
Top killer Abbas is imprisoned now. Although there is no trace of terrorist Liakat's, but his family claimed that law enforcers have detained him in plainclothes. Moreover, there is no information on the location of terrorists Jabber, Munna and Jafar Ahmed.
Terrorist Picchi Hannan was killed in crossfire, Alauddin died in mob-lynching. After declaration of a bounty on the head of the terrorists Picchi Helal, Freedom Sohel, Khorshed Alam alias Rashu, Titon, Kamal Pasha, Prokash Kumar Biswas Prokash, Abbas alias Killer Abbas, Moshiur Kochi and some others were arrested in the country. Most of them are now in jail. Some of them were also granted bail in some cases.
Sources said no new list of top terrorists has been published since 2001 when a list of 23 terrorists was published.
Top listed criminal Bikash was hurriedly and secretly freed from Kashimpur Jail-2 allegedly to suppress political rivals ahead of upcoming parliamentary election, claimed the sources.
Concerning the source of income for the King of the underworld, Subrata Bain, it is said that when Kolkata's smugglers and hundi dealers need muscle to extract payment from their debtors in Dhaka, they turn to Subrata. He picks up the phone and issues instructions to his Dhaka minions.
His minions carry out his instructions and send the money through underhand channels in Dhaka and Subrata skims off a handsome commission. In the same manner, Dhaka's businessmen collect their dues from Kolkata through Subrata.
The top terrors of the city who are presently in jail are Haris, Sweden Aslam, Titon, Pichchi Helal, Joseph, Kamal Pasha, Mamun, Emon, Killer Abbas, Khorshed Alam and Rasu.
The fugitives within the country are Dipu Chowdhury, Imon, Junior Hannan, Manik and Imam. Tokai Sagar and Selim are now in the US Terrors Alauddin and Kala Faruk were killed by police while Pichchi Hannan was killed in RAB crossfire.
Most of the listed criminals in Dhaka's underworld, either in jails or hideouts abroad, are reportedly controlling the capital's criminal activities through their local sidekicks.
According to the detective branch, in absence of such dreaded criminals, their sidekicks in association with other criminals are continuing various criminal activities including murder and kidnapping for ransom and toll collection.
The listed criminals from the jails or hideouts through cell phones continue sending instruction to their associates to commit crimes.
Many traders and owners of different export-oriented garment factories are still held hostage by these notorious criminals and their sidekicks.
