The Bangladesh Army on Tuesday arrested top listed crime suspects Subrata Bain alias Fatheh Ali and his close associate Molla Masud alias Abu Rasel Mahmud at a house on Sonar Bangla Road under Sadar upazila in Kusthia.
They were arrested at about 5:15am and, based on Subrata鈥檚 information, two of his associates, Arafat and Sharif, were arrested at a location in the Mohanagar Project area under Hatirjheel police station in Dhaka at about 7:00am, Inter Services Public Relation Directorate officials said.
Subrata and Masud are among the 23 top crime suspects listed by the then government in 2001, police officials said.
ISPR said that the army seized five foreign-made pistols, 10 magazines, 53 rounds of bullets and one satellite phone from Subrata鈥檚 associates.
Addressing a press conference at the Dhaka cantonment Tuesday afternoon, ISPR director Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dawla Chowdhury said that the gang of Subrata and Masud had conducted various criminal activities, including murders, extortions and sabotage in different areas of the country.
鈥楽ubrata Bain and Molla Masud are the leaders of the 23 top listed criminals and the main planner of the Seven Star Group,鈥� he said and added that the drive became successful because of a long-term planning and intelligence activities.
He said that the drive was conducted successfully without any damage or clash, which is an example of the Army鈥檚 professionalism and responsibility to the country.
The ISPR director said that the 46th Independent Infantry Brigade conducted the operations in association with the army headquarters, the 55th Infantry Division, the 14 Independent Engineers Brigade, the 71st Mechanized Brigade and the National Security Intelligence.
Asked when Subrata and Masud entered Bangladesh as it was believed that the duo was in hiding in India, the ISPR director declined to make any comments.
He did not take any questions at the briefing.
According to the members of the law enforcement agencies, Subrata Bain, 60, began his criminal activities in the capital鈥檚 Moghbazar area in the 90鈥檚 and was the leader of the ferocious Seven Star Group, who was found guilty in at least 30 murder cases.
Interpol also issued a red notice against Subrata Bain.
Mollah Masud, 54, entered the crime world with the help of Subrata Bain and created his influence in the capital鈥檚 Motijheel area. 聽
While talking to 抖阴精品 in the first week of April, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjad Ali said that they had found the link of Subrata Bain in the March 20 killing of internet service provider Sumon, popularly known as KG Sumon, near police plaza in the capital鈥檚 Gulshan area.
On May 3, the Rapid Action Battalion arrested a close associate of Subrata Bain in connection with the murder of a Juba Dal activist in the capital鈥檚 Hatirjheel area on April 19, said a RAB press release issued on May 3.
Subrata鈥檚 close associate Mahfuzur Rahman Bipu, 48, was arrested on May 3 at a location under Modhukhali police station in Faridpur.
