Four AL arsonists held in Dhaka
Staff Reporter :
Dhaka police have arrested four leaders and activists of the Awami League’s affiliated bodies on charges of orchestrating arson attacks, coordinating sabotage, and mobilising unauthorised processions in different parts of the capital over the past month.
The arrests were made in separate operations in Hazaribagh, Dhanmondi and Kamrangirchar, following what police described as “verified digital evidence” and confessional statements.
The detainees—Md Shawkat Hossain Babu, general secretary of the Jubo League’s Ward-22 unit in Hazaribagh; former Dhaka University Chhatra League vice-president Milon Khan; Hazaribagh-based Jubo League activist Tahidul Islam Opu; and Dhaka Metropolitan South Jubo League joint convenor Mohammed Sabbir Sheikh—are accused of coordinating and executing a series of arson attacks on buses, as well as planning processions using Telegram and WhatsApp groups.
According to investigators, Babu arrived from Malaysia on November 15 “with the intention of carrying out sabotage,” as suggested by a public Facebook post he allegedly made before returning to Bangladesh. Police said that on November 16—one day after his arrival—he instructed and financed local Jubo League worker Opu to set fire to a bus in the Beribadh area of Hazaribagh. Law enforcers claim to have recovered video footage, conversations and transaction screenshots from Babu’s WhatsApp and Messenger accounts.
Babu was detained early Tuesday near Dhanmondi Road 28 while allegedly preparing to join a procession carrying banners with images of Sheikh Hasina. Police say the gathering was organised under instructions from Dhaka Metropolitan Jubo League’s acting president Saurav Hossain Swapon, with operational supervision from joint convenor Sabbir Sheikh.
Officers from Dhanmondi Police Station, assisted by local footpath vendors, arrested Babu along with another participant, Milon Khan.
Investigators said that both men appeared in multiple mobile-based groups—including ones titled “Asta’e Sheikh Hasina,” “Jubo League Dhaka South,” “Bangali Bangladesh Group,” and the Ward 22 Awami League forum—that were allegedly used to coordinate arson attacks, share images of improvised explosives, and exchange operational guidance. Police added that digital forensics had retrieved photos of crude explosives and chat logs on preparing and deploying them across different parts of the city.
Milon Khan, the former Dhaka University Chhatra League vice-president, was arrested from the same location. Police say Milon acted as a liaison, arranging accommodation in South Keraniganj for visiting Chhatra League and Jubo League workers from Narail, Gopalganj and nearby districts. These groups allegedly assembled at a tin-shed house behind Lion Tower before dispersing to different parts of Dhaka to take part in processions or acts of sabotage.
Law enforcers also arrested Tahidul Islam Opu from Dhanmondi 7A, near Dr Maleka College, at around 2pm Tuesday. Opu reportedly admitted to taking part in the unauthorised gathering on November 28 at Dhanmondi Road 28 under the direction of Jubo League joint convenor Sabbir Sheikh. Police claim Opu received mobile banking payments from Babu before the November 16 bus arson in Hazaribagh, and that he remained active in groups planning further sabotage in Hazaribagh and Dhanmondi.
The most recent arrest came late Monday night when police detained Jubo League joint convenor Sabbir Sheikh from the Kamrangirchar Company Ghat bridge area. Police say Sabbir fled the scene during the November 28 gathering but was tracked down by a technical team under DC Ramna.
According to statements from previously detained suspects, Sabbir was the central organiser who communicated with youth and student activists across the country, brought them to Dhaka, and deployed them in arson and crude bomb attacks. He allegedly coordinated every operation through Telegram and WhatsApp groups and was present at Dhanmondi Road 28 on the day of the attempted procession.
Police say all four detainees admitted—during primary interrogation—to varying degrees of involvement in arson attacks, including the torching of buses in Hazaribagh, Mirpur Rupnagar and other parts of the capital. Evidence collected by the investigators is now being examined for forensic authentication, officials said.
Further arrests are likely as law enforcement agencies continue analysing digital footprints and tracing communication networks linked to the recent incidents of arson and explosions in Dhaka.